Always and Forever: A Neiji Romance
by vampnira92
Summary: An unusual ability causes Koishikawa Yoruko to be exiled from her family in Sunagakure and attracts the attention of Akatsuki. Will an unexpected visit in the hospital from a stranger turn into something more? Will she also gain an unexpected rival and even more unexpected friends? Rated T for violence, language, and non-explicit sexual themes NeijixOC
1. Chapter 1

_**Author's note: **__**I do not own Naruto or any of its characters. I simply borrow them to use in my own sick, twisted fantasies. ^^ –Nira**_

_**P.S. Welcome back to my fans from "A Heavier Burden in My Heart" and/or "Remembering Sunday" and hello and welcome to new readers. :) I wrote this story a long time ago (maybe two years or so?) before I'd really gotten into Naruto Shippuden so many of the characters, especially the Akatsuki members are OOC, though not all of them, and very little of the plot has anything to do with the plot from the manga or anime. This story is kind of between episode 210 of Naruto and episode 1 of Naruto: Shippuden but it dips a bit into some of the Shippuden episodes later. I hope that makes sense. If it doesn't now, it will as you read more. **_

_**This story is also told in multiple points of view, but mostly in Yoruko's point of view since she's the main character. Whenever there is a change in P.o.V., there will be a page break and it will say whose P.o.V. it is switching to in double parenthesis ((like this)). **_

…_**I think that's everything you need to know for now. Please review and let me know what you think. I know it can use some improvements since it's such an old story, so please don't be harsh or write flames. Thanks a million and I hope you enjoy. :) **_

Always and Forever: A Neiji Romance

Chapter One

((Yoruko's P.o.V.))

My body was numb but I felt something warm and sticky on my midsection. It was hard to breathe and my vision blurred in and out. The last thing I remembered was fighting the legendary S-ranked renegade ninja the one and only Uchiha Itachi, himself, and then everything went blank. I saw everything as it happened, but I didn't quite comprehend it. It all seemed so strange and foreign as if it was in a science-fiction movie.

I saw the sun darting in and out from behind a blanket of leaves above me and a blurred face hovering over me. It looked vaguely familiar as one of my cellmates, but I couldn't make out his features to be sure. The blurred lips of the face moved telling me to hold on and hang in there and that we were almost to the city gates. I recognized the voice as Shigure nii-san's but I couldn't reply. My voice was gone, drowned out by a violent cough that brought the metallic taste of blood to my mouth.

Bright, white fluorescent lights flashed by overhead as more blurred faces looked down on me shouting orders slightly muffled by masks or saying encouraging words like, "You'll be fine, just hang in there" or "we're here to help you, Koishikawa-san."

Where was I? What was going on? Where did my teammates go? Why was everyone in masks and monochromatic uniforms and so frantic?

* * *

((Neiji's P.o.V.))

My cousin, Hinata-sama and I had moved in together when Tsunade-sama became the fifth Hokage. Despite previous family differences, I realized how childish I'd been toward her and vowed to apologize and make things right. Ever since, we'd been as close as brother and sister. I supported her in everything she wanted to do so when she told me that she wanted to become a medical-nin, I encouraged her and invited her to live with me since becoming a medical-nin wasn't something that the rest of the family was too keen on.

Hinata-sama and Haruno Sakura from Hatake Kakashi-sensei's cell were trained by Tsunade-sama, herself and worked part time at the hospital. Hinata-sama came home after work one day and told me about an emergency patient who had come in.

"When she came in, she was in critical condition. Her lungs had been punctured so she was rushed into surgery immediately. She'd been on a mission and was attacked by Sasuke-kun's older brother," she explained as she prepared dinner.

"Is she alright now? Did they stop the bleeding and stabilize her?" I inquired.

"Yes, but she's lost a lot of blood so she's unconscious. Since she's stable, we moved her out of ICU and into a regular room. She should be just fine in about a month."

She then went on to tell me that I should come by the hospital to visit her and Sakura or maybe do some volunteer work when I got the time, so I said that I would. The next day I was free, so I went. Sakura told me that Hinata-sama was busy looking after the emergency patient in room 1313, so I walked down the hall to the room and softly rapped on the door. Hinata-sama's voice called for me to come in and when I walked in I saw that she was putting a new blood pack on the IV drip.

She smiled, saying that she'd be done soon, so I sat on the empty bed and watched her check the patient's vitals until she realized that she'd forgotten her clipboard and asked me to keep an eye on the patient for a moment while she went to retrieve it. When she left, I looked at the patient's face and found myself staring. Hinata-sama hadn't told me how beautiful she was. Her long black hair was splayed carelessly on the pillow and behind the breathing mask her full lips were slightly parted. Her cheeks were tinged pink and her long, thick eye lashes curled up toward her perfectly arched brows.

* * *

((Yoruko's P.o.V.))

A bright, white light showed through my eyelids, waking me up. My eyes fluttered open half way, too heavy to open fully and I found myself looking up at the ceiling. I could hear a steady beeping noise along with the whirr of machinery and blinked a few times. I saw the clear plastic of a breathing mask over my nose and mouth and felt something phallic stuck in the crook of my elbow. I looked down at it to see a needle held in place by a piece of medical tape so I followed the tube that was attached to see an IV. There was also a clamp on my middle finger that was measuring my heart rate. I concluded that I was in a hospital and sighed. So that's what was going on. I'd been rushed to the hospital. I remembered flashes of images and feelings—bloody utensils and a tube shoved down my throat with a nurse on the other end, pumping air into my lungs, and something about needles—so I guessed that I'd gone through surgery, too.

Out of the corner of my eye I saw a blurred figure sitting on a bed next to me, so when I turned my head and focused on the form, I found myself looking into the face of a boy with gray-white eyes and really long black hair. I'd seen him before around the city but I'd never been so close to him before. He was handsome and serious looking and I was staring as he stared back. He looked like a male version of one of the nurses I'd seen in the operating room. The leading doctor had called her Hinata when he'd barked orders to her. I was entranced by the boy's gorgeous, milky eyes, so I smiled and told him that he had beautiful eyes. His eyes widened and his cheeks flushed pink. Just then the nurse came in, the same one from the operating room, holding a clipboard and smiled at me.

"How are you feeling, Koishikawa-san?" she asked.

"I feel… numb…"

"That's just the pain medicine. Is there anything I can get for you?"

I felt my eyelids getting heavy again and smiled as I turned my head back to the ceiling with a rasping breath.

"Your name is Hinata-san… right?"

"Yes, I'm Hyuuga Hinata."

"There was a boy… He had really pretty eyes and was… sitting on the bed over there," I labored, pointing in the direction of the bed beside me as my vision began to fade again.

"Neiji-kun?" she inquired and I heard her turn to look.

"Is that his name? …He looks like you, Hinata-san… Is he still here?"

"Yes, he's still here. He's my cousin. Did you have something to say to him?"

"I just wanted to… thank him for visiting me… despite us being… complete… strangers…" I trailed off as the darkness of unconsciousness took over again.

I don't know exactly how long I was in the hospital but I would wake up sometimes and see Hinata-san checking my vitals or tending to stitches on my chest or Sakura-san, my other nurse doing it if Hinata-san was unavailable. There were a few times I saw vases of fresh flowers on the windowsill next to my bed when I woke up, or Neiji-san sitting on the bed next to mine. I wondered if he was the one who kept bringing me flowers, but I never asked. I always ended up staring into his eyes until I fell back asleep, instead. It felt like I'd known him from somewhere before, but I knew that I'd never had contact with him before in my life. I was calm and at peace whenever he was around, so I didn't mind him being there. I was just unsure of why he had such a powerful emotional affect on me at all. I saw more of Neiji-san than I did of my own teammates. It seemed like they never came to visit me at all.

For the last couple weeks that I was there whenever I woke up, I was awake for longer and longer and had regained the feeling in my body because they'd taken me off of the pain medications. I could breathe without a mask and I could even get out of bed and move around on my own, of course with Hinata-san or Sakura-san accompanying me. When they told me that I was free to go, I was excited. I'd never liked hospitals.

* * *

((Neiji's P.o.V.))

I'd learned that the emergency patient I'd visited was named Koishikawa Yoruko and I visited her often after that initial visit. Sometimes I would bring flowers for her and stare at her beautiful face, waiting for her to wake up just so I could see her eyes. They were the color of warm, melted chocolate and when she'd look at me, I always got a strange feeling that I'd known her before but I could never pinpoint when or where from. It always sent a chill down my spine and made me blush. I couldn't figure out why but it happened every time her kind, tired eyes would meet mine.

When Hinata-sama told me that they were letting her go, a sense of emptiness filled my stomach as I wondered if I'd ever see her again.


	2. Chapter 2

_**Author's note: **__**I do not own Naruto or any of its characters. I simply borrow them to use in my own sick, twisted fantasies. ^^ –Nira**_

**_P.S. I know it's starting off slow, and I apologize for that. The story will start to pick up a bit more this chapter and the next one. Please bear with me or PM me with a few ideas on how to improve it so it catches your attention more. Thanks, and I hope you enjoy this chapter. :) Oh, and by the way, the image that I used as the cover for this story is actually the inspiration for it and it appears here in this chapter. Just thought I'd point it out to you if you didn't catch it. :)_**

Chapter Two

((Yoruko's P.o.V.))

When I was let out of the hospital I decided to go eat at my favorite café. I went there so often that the workers knew me by name, my favorite table next to the window, and my favorite meal and tea. When I walked in the waitress smiled a warm welcome.

"The usual, Koishikawa-san?" she inquired.

"If you don't mind, Mii-san," I smiled back.

"No problem," she chirped and walked to the kitchen while I walked to the booth next to the window that I'd deemed as mine.

She came back a few minutes later with a pot of cherry vanilla tea, a bowl of miso soup, a plate of steamed cod, and a bowl of sweet rice. I thanked her and when I'd finished eating, I paid the bill and left, waving good-bye. When I walked outside I saw that my teammates were walking by. Upon seeing me, they smiled and waved as the changed direction to come to me.

Himura Shigure, the eldest of our cell at the age of twenty five was tall and toned with medium length purple-ish hair and amber eyes. He was the laid back, strategic one of the group and always kept his cool in difficult situations. He was like the older brother I never had. Matsume Toshia, aged nineteen was a few inches shorter than Shigure-nii but still taller than me, and of a slender build. His hair was an unruly mess of golden brown spikes and his eyes were emerald green. He was the short-tempered "bad-ass" of the cell who would much rather jump straight into a situation than make plans. He was kind of like a brother, too, except that I'd developed a strange kind of love for him over the years. It wasn't the kind of love that one would feel toward a sibling, but it wasn't exactly the love one would feel for a lover, either. It was somewhere in between the two.

"So you're finally out. How are you feeling?" Shigure-nii asked.

"I'm fine…" I replied with not so much hospitality. "I'd be better if my own teammates would have at least come to visit me while I was in the hospital."

"What are you talking about? We visited you every day but you were either passed out still, or not in the room," Toshia-kun defended.

"I don't believe you, but whatever. What did you guys do about Itachi?"

"He got away but he'll be back. Akatsuki needs you," Shigure stated, his expression turning serious. "He came after you for a reason, Yoru-chan."

"Yeah, I know… but I don't wanna think about that. There's someone I need to find, so I'll see you guys later," I smiled and ran off before they could protest.

I had absolutely no idea where to look for him at but I didn't want to stand there and listen to Shigure-nii's "Be careful; Akatsuki's after you" lecture, either. Although I didn't know where to find Neiji-san, I knew someone who would so I decided to drop by the hospital to ask her.

When I walked through the doors of the hospital, I saw Sakura-san working at the front desk. When she saw me, she freaked out, worrying that something was wrong. I chuckled as I explained to her that nothing was wrong and that I was fine before I asked where Hinata-san was. She told me that Hinata-san was busy with a patient but she'd be done soon, so I decided to wait. A few minutes later, Hinata-san came out and had the same reaction as Sakura-san had, so I had to go through the process of calming her down like I had with Sakura-san.

"I just wanted to ask you something," I smiled.

"About what?"

"Your cousin. Do you know where I can find him?"

Hinata-san smiled and invited me to walk and talk with her as she went to lunch. I was slightly confused but went with her, anyway. I didn't have anywhere to go or anything else to do, anyway. By the time I realized where we were going, we'd arrived at the café I'd just recently eaten at.

"Back already, Koishikawa-san?" Mii asked as we walked in.

"It seems so," I chuckled. "I was just accompanying my friend, here to lunch."

"Welcome back, then, Koishikawa-san and it's nice to see you again, Hyuuga-san," she smiled.

"Mii-san, can I have a pot of my usual tea, please?"

"Absolutely. Please seat yourselves and I'll be with you momentarily."

I thanked her and turned to Hinata-san. "You don't mind if we sit in my favorite spot, so you?"

"Not at all. Where is it?" Hinata-san smiled.

"The booth over there by the… window…" I trailed off as I looked toward the booth and saw Neiji-san reading a book and drinking tea while he listened to music.

I couldn't help but to stare but my trance was broken when Hinata-san called his name and walked toward him. "Neiji-kun, sorry I'm late. I ran into Koishikawa-san on the way and invited her. I hope you don't mind."

Neiji-san smiled and took his headphones out, bookmarking his page and setting his book and mp3 player aside. "Hello again, Koishikawa-san. I'm glad to see you're doing well."

"Thank you very much for your concern," I blushed, bowing before taking a seat.

"Koishikawa-san, you must come here often if the staff knows you by name and you have usual drinks," Hinata-san stated.

"It's my favorite restaurant in the whole city. The staff, pricing, and customer service are the best of the best, and so is their food. They have the widest variety of teas available, too. You must be a regular, as well, Hinata-san, if they know your name, too."

"I come here for lunch every day," she smiled. "I invited Neiji-kun to join me today since he has the day off."

"Day off?" I inquired.

"I'm usually training or out on missions at this time but Tsunade-sama gave me the day off," Neiji-san explained. "What would you suggest from the menu if you're a regular, Koishikawa-san?"

"Their steamed cod is to die for. It's my favorite," I grinned.

"I'll have to try it one day."

Mii-san came by with my tea and asked if she could take Neiji-san and Hinata-san's orders. When they'd ordered and Mii-san had walked away, Hinata-san asked me what I'd been looking for Neiji-san for and I blushed at being called out and thrown under the bus like that but forced a smile anyway. Neiji-san looked at me in slight shock, silently asking the same question.

"I just wanted to thank you again for visiting me in the hospital. It was really sweet of you," I blushed with a smile, but I gave him a loaded look that told him that there was more to it than just that. Upon catching the look and guessing at its meaning, he smiled and said that it wasn't a problem.

We talked for a while as Hinata-san and Neiji-san ate their lunch and I drank my tea and when Hinata-san had finished, she paid her bill and left to go back to work. Neiji-san and I were left alone at the table and it was quiet for a while as we stared at each other, me slowly sipping my tea. He was the one to break the silence.

"You gave me a look earlier when Hinata-san asked why you were looking for me that said that there was more to the answer that you gave her. Why were you looking for me, Koishikawa-san?" he asked, his intense eyes staying locked with mine.

"There are a lot of reasons, really… Why did you visit me so often? We'd never met before. We were perfect strangers, so why would you spend so much time at the bedside of someone you didn't even know?" I inquired back.

"I don't know… It's hard to explain. I'm still trying to figure that out, myself."

"Hm…" I poured myself another cup of tea and took a sip before smiling and reconnecting eye contact. "If I'm not being too forward, I want to know more about you. You're really interesting."

"I'm interested in you, as well, Koishikawa-san… Hinata-sama had told me that you'd been admitted to the hospital because Uchiha Itachi had attacked you. Why would he do such a thing and how were you on such a dangerous mission for it to happen to begin with?"

"I'm a jounin, probably one of the youngest in Konoha… As to why Itachi attacked me, I'd rather not talk about it. It's a bit of a secret on multiple levels."

"I see… What do you like to do in your free time?" he inquired, changing the subject as he sensed that I was uncomfortable with the topic.

I smiled and blushed in gratitude, holding my tea cup to my lips in both hands, feeling the warmth of it and smelling the sweet aroma. "Believe it or not, but I love to travel and eat," I chuckled. "It's how I found out about this café and Konohagakure. I was born in Sunagakure but I came here when I was fourteen and have stayed ever since. Konoha has felt more like a home to me than anywhere else I've been. Everything is so peaceful and the people are so much nicer… You seem like a really serious guy dedicated to his training. Am I right, Hyuuga-san?"

"I guess you could say that."

"You also seem like a perfectionist… What are you trying to achieve?" I pondered more to myself than him, but his eyes had widened as if I'd struck the nail head on. I smirked and gave him a challenging look, curious to see what he was capable of in battle. If he trained to much he should be as good as everyone bragged that he was.

"What's with that look?" he asked, confused.

"Everyone brags that you're a genius of the Hyuuga clan with an amazing talent for your kekkei genkai. Are you really as good of a shinobi as you're rumored to be, Hyuuga-san?"

"Care to find out?"

"Is that a challenge?"

"If that's what you want to call it," he chuckled.

"Then I accept."

Neiji-san grinned as he stood up and pulled his wallet from his back pocket to pay for his meal while I paid for my tea. When we walked outside, he looked at me and his grin widened before he took off running toward the forest, so I laughed, chasing him. We reached a clearing and I looked around. There was a dummy hanging from a tree with targets on it and I could tell that it was used often by the multiple holes in it from projectable blades.

"Ready?" Neiji-san asked, so I faced him.

"You asked for it," I smirked.

He released his Byakugan and crouched into his fighting stance, so I made a bunch of clones that attacked him from different directions while I hid in a tree to watch how he'd handle the situation. Neiji-san did a 360 degree attack and all of my clones disappeared in clouds of smoke which cleared to expose Neiji-san looking up at me. I chuckled and fell backward from the branch I was on to hang upside down as I looked at him.

"Not bad, Neiji-san, but I already found your weakness," I smirked.

"Clones won't work on him, lady," I heard a loud, shrill male voice say from the branch above me, so I hollered and jumped in surprise, losing my concentration.

Without my chakra focused to my feet anymore, I began falling and had no way of catching myself on anything. Just as I thought "Oh my god, this is it; I'm gonna die," someone tackled me out of the air and we hit the ground, tumbling. When we stopped I could tell that I was laying on whoever had caught me and blushed madly, snapping my eyes open. I blushed even brighter when I saw an equally bright red Neiji-san below me and scrambled to get off of him, avoiding eye contact.

"Are you alright, Koishikawa-san?" he asked.

"Y-Yeah, thanks… A-Are you?"

"I'm fine…"

"Are you two okay? I'm sorry! I didn't mean to scare you like that, lady!" A loud blonde kid fretted as he stood beside us.

I looked up at him and instantly recognized him as the town nuisance and jinchuuriki of the legendary and fabled nine tailed fox, Kyuubi, Uzumaki Naruto.

"It's okay. What do you mean clones won't work on him?" I inquired with a smile.

"His Byakugan has a full view of everything around him. Attacking him with clones won't work."

"I know. I figured that out as soon as he defeated them, but thanks for the advice, anyway."

"How did you figure it out so soon? Who are you, anyway, lady? I've never seen you before."

"I'm Koishikawa Yoruko. It's nice to meet you, Naruto-kun," I smiled.

"How did you—?"

"Did you need something from me, Naruto?" Neiji-san interrupted before Naruto-kun could finish his sentence.

"Oh yeah! I wanted to ask if you wanted to come to my party tonight. You can come, too, if you want, Yoruko-chan. It'll be really fun and everyone's gonna be there!"

I looked up at the leaves and contemplated whether or not I wanted to go because of the situation I was in with Akatsuki coming after me. It was quiet for a while and I felt eyes set on me as I thought.

"Uh… did I interrupt something?" Naruto-kun asked.

"Not really. We were just sparring. I don't think I'll go, though," I explained.

"Why not? It'd be fun. Please? I really want people to go."

"Will you go with me?" Neiji-san asked.

I blushed as I looked at him in shock. Was he asking me out? I looked up at the sky again and noticed that it was starting to get dark. My mind raced, asking a million "what if…?" questions and I started to panic. What if Akatsuki was lurking somewhere in the shadows right now?

"When does it start?" I asked, looking around, straining my ears to pick out any unusual noises or the ruffling of the Akatsuki cloak. Maybe I'd be safer if I was with Naruto-kun since he was a jinchuuriki. He'd be able to protect me… right?

"Six," Naruto-kun beamed, excited.

"Alright… I'll go," I stated, standing up. "I guess I'll go get ready then."

"I'll come pick you up at five thirty then," Neiji-san smiled.

"Care to walk me home? You'll need to know where I live if you intend to pick me up, right?" I smiled back. Neiji-san blushed and I chuckled. "See you at the party, Naruto-kun."


	3. Chapter 3

_**Author's note: **__**I do not own Naruto or any of its characters. I simply borrow them to use in my own sick, twisted fantasies. ^^ –Nira**_

Chapter Three

((Yoruko's P.o.V.))

When I got home, I watched Neiji-san walk away for a moment before I walked inside to get ready. I made and ate dinner, took a shower, and got dressed in a white Chinese style form-fitting martial arts ghi with angel flap sleeves, gold trim, and dark blue stitching and buttons. It was an outfit that was both comfortable and fashionable. For shoes, I chose a pair of plain but comfortable white flats. I looked in the mirror and decided that my natural brown eyes would look strange with the brightness of the outfit, so I wore my blue contacts instead. I left my hair down but clipped my bangs back with a blue sakura hair clip and chose to wear minimal make-up of black eyeliner and mascara, finishing up the outfit. I looked at the clock, saw that it was five twenty, and waited in my living room for Neiji-san to come pick me up.

Shortly after I'd finished getting ready to go to Naruto-kun's party there was a knock at my door so I answered it to see Neiji-san. He smiled and asked if I was ready to leave so I slid my flats on, locked the door behind me, and walked with him to an apartment building. When we got there and knocked on the door, Naruto-kun smiled and let us in, welcoming us to the party. As I looked around the room I realized that Naruto-kun, Sakura-san, Hinata-san, and Neiji-san were the only people I knew.

"I'm glad you could make it, you two. Sai and Shino couldn't," Naruto-kun explained with a grin on his face. "Hey, everyone, this is my new friend Koishikawa Yoruko. She's new to Konoha," he announced to everyone else and a blush rose to my cheeks.

"No I'm not. I've been here for three years," I protested. "I came here when I was fourteen but I've been in and out a lot because of all of my missions."

"So you're seventeen too?" a girl with her hair in two high buns smiled in excitement. "And you like Chinese clothes! I like you already. My name is Tenten. I'm one of Neiji's teammates."

"It's nice to meet you," I smiled back.

"Seeing as you already know Neiji-kun and have been introduced to Tenten, I suppose it's my turn. I am Rock Lee, the handsome devil of the Leaf village!" a boy in a green spandex jumpsuit with bushy eye brows and a bowl cut hairstyle proclaimed as he smiled wide and gave me a thumbs up.

I had to use every ounce of self restraint that I had not to laugh at him. He looked absolutely ridiculous but it fit since his squad leader was Guy-sensei who was equally flamboyant. I smiled and bowed out of courtesy. Next came a member of the Inuzuka clan, Kiba with brown hair and eyes and red stripes on his cheeks. He also introduced his huge dog, Akamaru who gave a deep bark in greeting. It struck me as strange that the dog's name was "Akamaru" when his fur was white and not anywhere near being red but I brushed it off.

The next trio was a strange group of friends. Ino, the loud-mouthed blonde was another Sasuke fan girl. She didn't say it, but I'd seen her clinging to Sasuke a few years before around the time of the Chuunin exams. Nara Shikamaru showed little interest at all in anything that was going on around him. His dark hair was in a high puffy ponytail and he constantly looked tired and lazy. Then came Akimichi Chouji, a thicker boy with brown hair and eyes and he'd already gotten into the snacks.

When all of the introductions were done and over with Neiji-san and I joined the circle and Sakura-san smiled and produced a bottle from a bad she'd brought with her. "Who's up for a game of 'Spin the Bottle?'" she inquired with a mischievous smirk on her face despite her attempts to look innocent.

She looked at me and then hinted to Neiji-san who was still standing beside me with a wink. My cheeks reddened and I looked down and away from everyone so none of them would notice my blush.

"There are too many guys here," Kiba-kun pointed out. "I don't know about the rest of you, but I'd rather not kiss another guy at all."

"You have a point," Shikamaru-kun stated making a face of distaste.

"How about 'I've Never' or 'Ten Fingers?' It doesn't have anything to do with how many guys or girls there are," Naruto-kun suggested and there was a round of agreements.

"Is there alcohol? It's more fun when everyone is getting smashed because of something they've done," I chuckled.

"We're all under aged!" Sakura-san gasped at the scandal.

I laughed. "That never stopped me. But it's okay. I won't corrupt you all like that. You're too responsible to sink as low as I have," I chuckled with an impish smirk. "You're all about to learn a lot about me that you may not care to know, just forewarning you."

"I'm definitely in now. This is gonna be good," Kiba-kun grinned.

Everyone got comfortable in the circle with both hands splayed on the carpet in front of them and since it was his idea to play, Naruto-kun started.

"I've never kissed a girl before," he said and I put a finger down along with Shikamaru.

"Yoruko, you've kissed a girl?" Kiba-kun asked in shock noticing that I'd put a finger down.

"It's a long story. Ask later," I smirked. "It's your turn, Hinata-san."

"Oh… I… uh… I've n-never had a b-b-boyfriend or girlfriend…" she blushed wildly, twiddling her fingers as she glanced at Naruto-kun, blushed brighter, and looked away again.

Shikamaru-kun was the only one to put a finger down and it made me grin out of curiosity. Who was the lucky lady that Shikamaru-kun claimed as his own, I wondered? And did Hinata-san have a thing for Naruto-kun? Was that why she was so jittery when she'd said it? It was then Neiji-san's turn.

"I've never found someone of the same gender attractive," he stated and I put another finger down. I was the only one to put a finger down and everyone stared at me. Their faces were a rainbow of expressions from lust to astonishment to disgust.

"Again, long story so ask later," I laughed. "All of your faces are priceless."

Sakura-san was next and she said that she'd never thought so far ahead into the future to plan the names of her future children. Tenten-san and Ino-san put a finger down and then it was Lee-kun's turn.

"I've never broken somebody's heart."

Sakura-san, Ino-san, and I put a finger down and my mind wandered back to the past for a moment before Kiba's voice beside me snapped me back to the present when he said that he'd never been drunk. I chuckled as I put a finger down and then it was my turn.

"Let's see… what haven't I done?" I thought aloud tapping a finger on my knee. "Oh! Here's one! I've never danced with someone."

Surprisingly, nobody else had put a finger down, either so it was Chouji-kun's turn. He said that he'd never gone on a diet and Sakura-san, Ino-san, and Tenten-san each put a finger down making it Ino-san's turn.

"I've never cut my hair more than to trim the ends," she stated and Sakura-san and I put a finger down.

I only had five fingers left and Shikamaru sighed since it was his turn. "What a drag… I've never been asked out on a date…"

"Would this technically be considered a date since Neiji-san asked me to come with him and picked me up from my house?" I inquired, genuinely curious.

"Yes," the girls smiled.

"No," Tenten snapped, glaring at me.

I was taken aback by her sudden change in attitude. "Why not?"

"He didn't ask you to be his girlfriend before the party," she barked.

"You don't know that. You weren't there," I snapped back and held up my hand so she could see it, emphasizing that I was putting a finger down.

The room had suddenly gotten tense and everyone watched us, nobody saying anything to get involved. I was starting not to like Tenten very much. Her attitude was a challenging threat and I hadn't done anything to her to deserve it. What was her problem?

"I didn't have to be there to know. Neiji-kun just met you. He doesn't know you enough to ask you out."

"Oh really?" I asked sarcastically. "Again, you know this how? Does your kekkei genkai allow you to read minds? Or look back into the past?"

"No, but—"

"Exactly. It's your turn. You're holding up the game."

I gave her an icy sweet smile and her glare hardened. It was obvious to me that we had started a rivalry between us. I didn't see why it had had to start to begin with, but she obviously didn't like me for some reason and I wasn't going to let her talk down to me like I was a child. My pride was on the line. If she wanted a war, she'd have one.

"Fine… I've never had sex," she huffed, crossing her arms.

I clenched my fist and took a deep breath as I put a finger down. Again, I was the only one to put a finger down and everyone was looking at me in that wide range of expressions again, Tenten's being of disgust once again.

"Yoruko-san, you haven't!" Sakura-san gasped with a scandalous grin.

"What was it like?" Ino-san breathed almost awestruck.

"Can we not talk about it please?" I croaked as a lump formed in my throat from my suppressing my tears.

"Oh… okay…" Sakura-san deflated. "Naruto-kun, it's your turn."

"Um… uh… I've never tried to kill myself?" Naruto-kun asked more than stated, hoping that nobody would put a finger down. I did.

"I… uh… I've never had a pet," Hinata-san stuttered, sensing the thickening tension and trying to dispel it.

Kiba-kun put a finger down and it was Neiji-san's turn again.

"I've never cheated on someone I was going out with," he said.

"I've never killed someone," Sakura-san said and Naruto-kun and I both looked down as we put a finger down.

I only had one finger left but I sighed and cleared my thoughts of all of the negative things that had come up in the game, not wanting to break out into tears in front of everyone on the first day that I'd met them.

"I've never lied for my own benefit," Lee-kun said on his turn, so Ino-san, Tenten and Naruto-kun each put a finger down.

"I've never done drugs," Kiba-kun claimed.

"I've never gone for more than a day without food," I stated and Naruto-kun, Ino-san, and Sakura-san put fingers down.

"I've never wanted to go back in time to re-do something," Chouji-kun said and I let out a wry chuckle as I put my last finger down, thus ending the game for me.

The game seemed to last forever after that as everyone slowly ran out of fingers to put down and when the remaining people had gotten bored, the winners were Hinata-san, Lee-kun, and Chouji-kun.

"So, Yoruko-san, about you kissing and liking girls… How, when, and why did that happen?" Kiba-kun inquired, smirking at me.

I laughed before I answered. "It was my friend's sweet sixteen birthday party and there were about five or six girls camping in a tent in her back yard that night. Four of them were bisexual and two were bi-curious with me being one of those two. We all got bored and decided to play 'Truth or Dare' but shortly into the game it turned into a huge make-out session. I'd been liking girls since I was about thirteen but I embraced it when I was fifteen. I couldn't give you a good reason why it happened. It just did."

"That's really cool," Naruto-kun smiled.


	4. Chapter 4

_**Author's note: **__**I do not own Naruto or any of its characters. I simply borrow them to use in my own sick, twisted fantasies. ^^ –Nira**_

_**P.S. Things are finally starting to heat up in this chapter! Again, I know it's starting off slow, but please bear with me! It does pick up, I swear! Please enjoy this chapter and I'll update the next one in a couple days. :)**_

Chapter Four

((Yoruko's P.o.V.))

"Who's up for another game?" Sakura-san chimed.

"As long as I don't have to tell anything else about myself, I'm in," I chuckled. "What game?"

"'Seven Minutes in Heaven,'" she smirked.

The mischievous glint was in her eye again and I knew that she was up to no good. Everyone seemed okay with the idea, not noticing how evil she looked, so she had all of the guys draw something onto torn pieces of paper and fold them up before putting them in Naruto-kun's sleeping cap and having Naruto-kun shake it to randomize the slips of paper. He went around to all of the girls in the circle on their turn, starting with Hinata-san.

When she pulled out Naruto-kun's picture of a ramen bowl, her face turned beet red and she was trembling and sweating. She followed him into his closet and seven long minutes later after Sakura-san had yelled out a minute warning, Shikamaru-kun opened the door and revealed that she'd fainted into Naruto-kun's lap while he looked down on her, worried and unsure of what to do. Next was Ino-san's turn and she withdrew Kiba-kun's drawing of Akamaru. It was Lee-kun's turn to open the closet door and when he did, Kiba-kun and Ino-san were caught lip-locked. They quickly pulled away from each other, blushing madly before returning to the circle.

Sakura-san withdrew Lee-kun's Konoha leaf symbol and when Neiji-kun opened the door, Lee-kun was sitting opposite Sakura-san, blushing with his hands on the knees of his crossed legs and Sakura-san was giggling. Next was Tenten's turn and with only three pieces of paper left, the anticipation showed as clear as day on her face. She pulled out the slip of paper with Chouji-kun's bag of potato chips drawn on it and I grinned in satisfaction as her face fell and frustration bubbled up. She'd wanted to get Neiji-kun's slip but the odds turned out to be against her. It wasn't a surprise to me when Kiba-kun opened the closet door and Tenten was sitting with her arms and legs crossed, pouting while Chouji-kun was munching on a bag of barbeque flavored chips across from her.

Thinking back on the outcomes of the game up to my turn, I deducted that the only two slips left belonged to Neiji-san and Shikamaru-kun. I dug my hand into the hat, playing with the two slips of paper, trying to decide which one to choose. I was hoping to get Neiji-kun's, but I would have been okay with getting Shikamaru-kun's, too. I could have a decent conversation with either of them so the seven minutes wouldn't be wasted. I grabbed one of the slips and then got a feeling in my stomach to grab the other, so I did and pulled it from the hat. I had butterflies in my stomach as I unfolded the small piece of paper, wondering whose slip it was. There was a drawing of a "gentle fist" and I smirked, knowing exactly whose it was.

"Shikamaru-kun, what did you draw?" I inquired.

"A shougi piece. Why?" he responded.

"Just curious," I smiled, handed him the slip of paper, and grabbed Neiji-san's hand, pulling him from his seat and dragging him with me to the closet.

I heard a huff from Tenten, giggles from Ino-san and Hinata-san, and a whispered "yes!" from Sakura-san behind me. So that had been her plan the whole time? To get Neiji-san and me together? I chuckled with a slight blush coming to my cheeks. I was using every ounce of my self-restraint not to jump for joy and cheer. When we'd gotten into the closet and the door had been shut, we were thrown into complete darkness and I was glad. If it was dark, he wouldn't be able to see that I was blushing wildly and extremely excited.

"Funny how we keep ending up together, huh?" I grinned shyly, though he couldn't see it.

My heart was beating so hard in my chest that it was a wonder how he couldn't hear it. I felt his presence right in front of me, followed by a warm breath against my lips and my breath caught and heart skipped a beat. He was so close that I could feel his body heat emanating from him and I wanted to melt into it.

"Do you want to be in here with me?" he breathed and I gripped onto the carpet below me and bit my lip, refraining from tackling him to the ground and claiming his lips in a kiss.

"Yes… I was hoping I got your paper… I was originally going to grab the other one with Shikamaru-kun's shougi piece, but my gut instinct told me not to," I responded.

"Maybe it was destiny… maybe we're meant to be together, Koishikawa-san."

"Yoruko."

"What?"

"Call me Yoruko," I breathed leaning into him ever so slightly.

"Yoruko…" he muttered and it made my heart melt. My name sounded like silk coming from his lips in that deep, smooth voice of his. "Will you go out with me?"

"Yes… yes! God, yes!" I beamed, finally breaking and tackling him with my lips pressed firmly to his and my arms wrapped around his neck.

His arms snaked around my waist and his tongue licked my bottom lip, asking for permission to enter and explore. I slightly parted my lips, teasing him, so he nipped my bottom lip and I gasped in delighted surprise, allowing him entrance. A muffled call of "one minute left!" from Sakura-san prevented us from doing anything else in fear of getting caught like Ino-san and Kiba-kun had. I pulled away and he gently held my chin, giving me a tender peck and staring into my eyes.

"Yoruko… your eyes changed…" he stated and I was shocked that he'd noticed.

"Yeah… I'm wearing contacts."

"You don't need them. Your eyes are more beautiful without them."

I blushed and we had just enough time to recompose ourselves and sit across from each other leaning against the walls as if nothing had happened before Sakura-san swung the closet door open. She had a huge grin on her face but it fell instantly into a look of bewilderment upon seeing us.

"You guys just sat there? Really? That's so boring!" she pouted.

"What did you expect, Sakura-san? We barely know each other," I smirked as we walked back to the circle.

When we got back to the circle, Neiji and I glanced and grinned meaningfully at each other before Naruto-kun claimed that he didn't want to play games anymore; he'd rather watch a movie, so we all decided on a scary movie. Everyone got comfortable around the sitting room with snacks and blankets and pillows. The lights were off and Neiji and I shared the love seat and a blanket with a bag of popcorn. Tenten sat leaning against the love seat, Naruto-kun and Hinata-san were sitting on the floor leaning against the couch, Kiba-kun and Ino-san were laying on Akamaru, Sakura-san, Lee-kun, and Chouji-kun took up the couch, and Shikamaru-kun was lying on the floor, propped up on one elbow. When I got scared I'd bury my face into Neiji and he'd wrap his arm around me in comfort, Kiba-kun did the same with Ino-san, and Lee-kun did the same with Sakura-san. When I started to get tired, I laid my head on Neiji's shoulder and he wrapped the blanket around me tighter, pulling me closer to him.

Soon I dozed off and sometime later, I heard someone calling my name, gently shaking me. I cracked my eyelids and yawned, stretching. At first the scenery didn't look familiar so I sat up and took a second, more awake view of my surroundings. I remembered that I was at Naruto-kun's party, yawned again, rubbing my eyes, and asked what time it was.

"It's almost eleven," Naruto-kun remarked.

"Are you ready to go home?" Neiji asked.

"Yeah… if you'll walk me," I half smiled, fear slightly taking over as an image of an Akatsuki cloaked figure flashed through my mind.

"You sound like you're afraid of the dark," Tenten said with a taunting grin. "What's the matter? Afraid something might pop up and kidnap you?"

"You're not me. You don't know. There just might be something out there that's after me. What if I really do have a legitimate fear of what might 'pop up and kidnap' me?" I snapped back.

"You're such a paranoid baby. You're a ninja, aren't you? You should be able to protect yourself. Are you so weak that you can't even do that?"

"Weak?" I shrieked in outrage. "Excuse me, correct me if I'm wrong, but you're still a chuunin," I barked back. "Don't you dare lecture me about weakness. I have plenty of them, and I'm aware of that, but I don't recall you battling Uchiha Itachi and living through it."

"You didn't defeat him, though, did you?" she rebuked, crossing her arms.

"Does it matter? Being a shinobi isn't about winning or losing! Did you learn absolutely nothing at the academy?"

"You talk all high and mighty, Koishikawa, but I bet you're no better than any of the rest of us. You're probably just another big talker."

"I'm not better than the rest of you. I'm better than you," I glared.

"Is that a challenge, Koishikawa?"

"You brought it upon yourself, Tenten."

"Let's settle this right now on top of the mountain," she glared daggers at me.

My stare was just as icy. "You've just crossed a dangerous line, little girl."

If there was anything that pissed me off to the fullest it was being challenged and looked down on without reason, and Tenten had been walking along a razor's edge since "I've Never…" She'd finally tipped the scale of my patience and she was in for hell because of it. Again, my pride was on the line and I am a very proud woman.

Everyone was tense as they followed Tenten and me to the top of the mountain with the Hokages' faces carved into it and they stood back to watch the event. Tenten and I were standing about fifty feet apart and glaring daggers at each other. I had no intention of going easy on her or showing her any mercy.

"What's going on again? What's all this about?" Naruto-kun inquired nervously.

"Well… it's complicated," Sakura-san chuckled just as nervously.

Without warning, Tenten unrolled a scroll and broke the seal on it, sending a barrage of kunai flying toward me. I unsheathed one of my sais twirling it in my hand and slowing my breathing to focusing on each of the blades. Everything seemed to go into slow motion and once I'd calculated the speed of the blades, my focus turned to Tenten and only her. I ran into the shower, dodging or deflecting each of the kunai that had the potential to do major damage to me, making one handed signs and taking in a deep breath. When I finally reached Tenten and had attacked, she very easily blocked it with her own sai, locking eyes with me.

"Hah!" I yelled as I let all of the breath that I'd been holding out in one rush and jumped away.

Her eyes widened and she fell to her hands and knees, coughing up blood. She looked up, glaring at me and I cocked my hip out with my free hand resting on it while my other hand continued to twirl the sai.

"Had enough yet, chuunin?" I questioned.

She stammered to her feet and spat at me. My glare hardened. Obviously she hadn't. I sheathed my sai again and made more signs while she continued her rain of blades upon me. I blew at her as if she was a candle, dodging a few of her shuriken and as I continued to dodge, all of a sudden the barrage of blades ended. She was standing on wobbly legs, her arms were frozen mid-throw and the kunai she was holding had fallen out of her hand, and her eyes looked like they were going to pop out of her skull.

"Wh-wha-what did you do t-to me?" she stuttered. "I c-can't… move…"

Five seconds later, she fainted, her eyes rolling to the back of her head, and her body collapsing onto the ground.

"She needs medical attention. Her lungs and kidney are bruised and she has very slight internal bleeding in her stomach and liver. She'll also be in a comatose state for about a week. She's been poisoned but not fatally," I explained, looking at my own minor cuts and scrapes from her blades.

Everyone was silent as they stared at me in awed silence while Hinata-san and Sakura-san tended to Tenten. I caught a glimpse of the moon from the corner of my eye and turned my attention to it. The night sky was clear and the moon was almost full and really bright. It had been so long since I'd seen it. It was beautiful.

"You didn't even touch her. There are no cuts or anything… How did you do that?" Kiba-kun breathed.

I started to answer but Neiji cut me off, "Hey, Koishikawa-san, I'll walk you home."

I nodded but didn't turn around right away. Hinata-san told Neiji that she'd be home later because she was going to go with Sakura-san to make sure that Tenten was okay, and Lee-san offered to go with them. Everyone started going their separate ways, saying their good-byes and when Neiji and I were out of sight of the rest of the group, we continued walking hand-in-hand. My head rested on his shoulder and when we got to my house he looked at me, concerned.

"I had fun… aside from all the Tenten drama, but it'll work out in the end, so don't worry about me… 'kay?" I smiled.

He grinned back and kissed my forehead. "Okay. Sweet dreams."

"Good night."


	5. Chapter 5

_**Author's note: **__**I do not own Naruto or any of its characters. I simply borrow them to use in my own sick, twisted fantasies. ^^ –Nira**_

_**P.S. Sorry for taking so long to update. I started school again last week and it was my birthday week, so as you can imagine, I've been pretty busy. You should also re-read chapter 4 again before you read this chapter, or at least the end of chapter 4 because I changed it and if you don't read it, you'll miss out on the whole fight between Yoruko and Tenten that was promised at the end of the old chapter 4. **_

_**Again, thanks for being so patient with me, and I hope you enjoy the chapter. :)**_

Chapter Five

((Yoruko's P.o.V.))

I woke up the next morning to the sound of my doorbell ringing so I yawned, rolled out of bed, and lazily made my way to the door. Whoever was at the door was rude and impatient because they were pounding on it. When I opened the door I saw Toshia-kun glaring at me and Shigure-nii smiling apologetically.

"Took you long enough! Any longer and I would have assumed the worst," Toshia-kun growled, so I flipped him the bird.

"Good morning. Did you sleep well?" Shigure-nii grinned.

"What do you want?" I grumbled, ignoring his question and wiping the sleep from my eyes.

"Can we come in? It's about Akatsuki."

"No… meet me at the café in a half hour."

"Why? Got someone in there with you?" Toshia-kun smirked.

"Yeah, me, myself, and I, now leave," I snapped, and closed the door on them.

I took a shower and left my hair down, dressing in black capris with a silver studded black belt, a flame decorated belly tank, and a flame decorated black leather fingerless glove on my right hand, tied my black forehead protector on, and put my silver contacts in before leaving to the café.

I got to the café, sat in my usual spot and ordered my usual meal before Toshia-kun and Shigure-nii arrived. Just as they'd come, so had my meal and while Mii was there, Shigure-nii ordered a pot of tea for himself. It was quiet for a while as I dug into my food and both of them had awkward, worried looks on their faces. When I asked what they'd learned about Akatsuki, Toshia-kun looked out the window and Shigure-nii was the one to speak up.

"It's not only Itachi and Kisame who are after you. The whole organization is on a mission to capture you and they know you're here in Konoha. You can't stay here anymore, Yoru-chan," Shigure-nii explained.

"I'm not going anywhere," I stated bluntly and Toshia-kun's head shot around to look at me in bewilderment.

"What?"

"I'm not going anywhere. I've finally found a place where I truly feel at home and they are not going to take that away from me. I'm not going to let them run me out."

"Are you telling me that you're just going to give up?" Toshia-kun growled.

"I never said that. Konoha is a big place. I can enjoy what little time I may have, but I'm not going to go into hiding or just run away."

"So what are you gonna do when they find you? You know they're bound to at some point. You can't just keep waltzing around like everything's fine anymore, Yoruko! Are you just gonna walk away with them and let them have you so easily?"

"That's exactly what I'm going to do."

"What?" they both yelled, but when other customers looked at us, they lowered their voices. "What do you mean?"

"You're right, they're going to catch me no matter what so what's the point in running? If I do, it'll only cause problems for Tsunade-sama and everyone else and that's the last thing that I want. They're not stupid, Toshia-kun. If they're that desperate to have me, they won't allow me a chance to escape. They'll have divided up their numbers to track me both in the city as well as outside of it and their watch will be constant. They won't stop until they've finally caught me, so when they do, I'll go without a fight," I explained matter-of-factly. "Besides, it's not like we could fight them all off should they attack. None of us are strong enough to do that and it would put the village in danger."

"I know that, but you can't just let them have you! What is the matter with you? Don't you care whether or not you live? You have to take a chance to try to escape! I won't let you just throw your life away! I won't let you go that easily!" Toshia-kun hollered, slamming his hands on the table and standing up.

Shigure-nii's and my tea spilled over and dripped off the edge of the table and I sat there, staring at my now empty plate with tired eyes. I could hear the distress in his voice and it broke my heart, but I couldn't see any way out of the situation aside from the one I'd already decided on.

"What do you want me to do, Toshia? Put the whole village into a war that we couldn't even dream of having a chance in just to protect me? I'm really not that important, and I'm not even a native to Konoha. You know that, so why do you insist that I fight for a lost cause? There's nothing more I can do!"

His eyes widened in shock and I saw tears glisten in them before he pushed his chair back and stormed out of the restaurant without another word. Shigure-nii sighed and stood up too, paying for his tea. He walked around the table and placed his hand on my shoulder for a moment.

"He's just worried… and so am I… but I understand your point. I just wish it didn't have to be the way it is…"

I sighed and sat there for a while, staring at the mess on the table before I paid for my meal and bowed humbly in apology to Mii and left to go to the hospital. I asked Sakura-san what room Tenten was in and when I walked in, Lee-kun and Neiji were talking on her bedside. When they heard me walk in, they both looked and were shocked to see that it was me. I stopped just inside the door, blushing and didn't make eye contact with either of them.

"I just wanted to give her a note for when she wakes up… you know, in case I'm g—… in case I'm on a mission…" I explained but stopped myself before I could say "in case I'm gone."

"A note? What does it say?" Lee-kun asked.

"It's not an apology. I have no reason to apologize to her. It's more of a request than anything…" I explained as I took the pen and notepad from her bedside table. I wrote:

"_Tenten—_

_ I want you to know that I hold no grudge or ill will against you. I never have and I was actually hoping that we could put all of our differences behind us. I understand if you hold a grudge against me, though. I deserve it for more reasons that putting you in the hospital. Please at least find it in your heart to apologize to Neiji for me if I'm not here. He deserves that at the very least for what I've decided._

─_Yoruko."_

I folded the note into a shuriken and wrote her name on the front, placing it in her hand and stared at her peaceful face for a moment.

"Is everything alright?" Neiji asked, so I turned to him with a smile.

"Yeah. Why?"

"You're lying… what's wrong?"

"You're not busy today, are you?" I asked, forcing a bigger smile.

"I'm supposed to train with Lee… why?"

"Lee-kun, can I steal him from you for the day? Pretty please with a cherry on top?"

I clasped my hands and gave Lee-kun the biggest, saddest puppy dog eyes I could manage and Lee-kun blushed before giving in with a nervous grin.

"Thanks, Lee-kun!" I smiled and grabbed Neiji's hand, dragging him toward the door.

"B-But—! Yoruko!" Neiji blushed and I giggled.

When we got outside, we slowed down and walked in a random direction, our hands still clasped together. My thoughts were far away and it was silent between us for a while until Neiji asked where we were going.

"I don't know… let's go somewhere to get to know each other better; somewhere quiet where we can just relax and talk. We're going out, but we have no clue about each other," I chuckled.

"I know just the place," he smiled.

"Really? Where?"

"You'll see. It's a surprise."


	6. Chapter 6

_**Author's note: **__**I do not own Naruto or any of its characters. I simply borrow them to use in my own sick, twisted fantasies. ^^ –Nira**_

Chapter Six

((Yoruko's P.o.V.))

I followed Neiji into the forest, slightly clinging to him as I cautiously looked around, straining my senses to pick out anything unusual. I felt Neiji's eyes set on me, feeling my tension and anxiety and he sighed.

"Do you trust me?" he asked so I blushed, being slightly taken aback.

"Yes, I do… why would you ask me something like that?"

"You look frightened as if I'm taking you out here to slaughter you."

"You're not really, are you?" I joked, pulling back slightly and looking him in the eye, but he took it seriously, his expression turning to one of being appalled. "I'm joking. I know you're not. Yes, I trust you."

"Then why are you so nervous?"

"I have a feeling that we're being watched," I half lied.

After a quick scan of the area with his Byakugan, he assured me that no one was there and we continued through the forest to a small lake where we stopped. I grinned and sighed in content before taking my shoes off and rolling my capris up as far as they'd go. I waded into the water and I wanted so badly to dive in and go for a swim to clear my mind. After a quick debate of whether or not I should, I gave up and decided to go for it. I walked back to shore, dropped my shoes at the base of the boulder that Neiji was sitting on, and took off my capris and accessories so I was only in my boy shorts and tank top. I noticed Neiji's blush and averted eyes, grinned to myself, and waded back into the water up to my waist before diving in. When I resurfaced I floated on my back, staring up at the canopy above, my thoughts still running rampant. I felt a pair of hands supporting my back and legs and gasped in shock, almost screaming until I saw that it was only Neiji and relaxed again.

"You've been really withdrawn and jumpy today. What's wrong?" he inquired.

"There's a lot on my mind… but I don't want to talk about it. I want to know about you. What's your family like? What do you like to do in your free time? What are your dreams and goals and aspirations for life? What are your favorite and least favorite things? I want to know everything there is to know about you," I smiled, treading water and facing him.

We swam to shore and sat on the boulder and he explained about the two branches of his family and how he had hated Hinata-san once. She was in the main branch and had no talent with their kekkei genkai while Neiji was considered a genius but was still in the second branch. His hobbies were training and listening to music and his dream was to become a great shinobi. He seemed like another Sasuke-kun except a couple years older and not consumed with revenge. I couldn't help but to compare the two of them and Neiji asked why I was staring at him.

"You remind me of Sasuke-kun, both striving to beat someone who was recognized more, both trying to reach a supreme level of perfection and power unrivaled by anyone, both considered to be geniuses and praised and admired by everyone but not really understood by anyone… It's amazing how differently the two of you turned out," I explained, looking at my distorted image in the water.

"I tried to kill Hinata-sama once… It was during the Chuunin Exam. I was adamant that she, Lee, and Naruto were losers from the start and would always be losers. None of them had any talents or skills that I thought were worth anything. To me, they were destined to fail in everything… but when Naruto defeated me in the final rounds he'd knocked some sense into me. I knew from then on that he'd do great things and I looked up to him. He was the ultimate underdog and came out on top against all odds. If it hadn't been for Naruto, I'd still be in the darkness like Sasuke…"

I smiled in melancholy and looked out at nothing. I wished I'd known everyone for longer. They were all such great people and had done so many amazing things, especially Naruto-kun. It was a shame that I'd only just met them all and I was already going to be snatched away from them by Akatsuki. I felt Neiji's arms wrap around me and was startled from my thoughts, looking back at him with a blush spread across my cheeks.

"What do you keep pondering about that's upsetting you so much? You haven't been yourself today… You know you can tell me anything, right?"

"I just wish I'd known you all sooner. It's sad that the only memories that I have with you and the others are of the party and fight last night…" I chuckled; "…and most of the memories I have of you are in a hospital room and I'm not entirely sure if they happened or not."

"We have time to make more memories," he smiled. "And I'm sure most of your memories of me from the hospital are real. I was there almost every day."

"Why?"

"I was drawn to you for some reason… just being around you made my heart race, especially when you would open your eyes and look at me… It was like you were looking directly into my soul… It's kind of hard to explain…"

I smiled and pulled his arms around me tighter, blushing. "I feel the same way…"

He kissed the top of my head and it was quiet again for a while before Neiji spoke up. "I told you about my life… Now it's your turn."

"Well, I was born in Sunagakure into one of the poorest clans in the nation. Despite us being poor, none of us lived horribly. We were comfortable with our status and we were a peaceful but small clan. We were such a poor and small clan because our bloodline trait can be deadly to anyone who comes into contact with it, including clan members as the hosts.

"Our chakra and blood are deadly and incurable poisons so people born into our clan don't have a very long life expectancy and our infant mortality rate is ridiculously high. Because of it, there were never enough children being born and surviving to replace the adults that were dying, so the clan's numbers have slowly been dwindling for ages. And, depending on how the chakra is manipulated, it can have different effects on an opponent. It doesn't work against animals or inanimate objects, though. Maybe it's some kind of mutation, parasite, or virus that attacks human cells. Nobody knows and nobody's had the time to find out since everyone is constantly in and out of the hospitals and doctors' offices," I explained.

"So that's why Tenten's in the hospital. You can't turn your kekkei genkai off. It's always active, even if you don't want it to be," Neiji concluded.

"Exactly," I smiled. "Everything in the clan was fine and everyone was content with their miserable fates… but then I was born. I've never been sick or had to be rushed to the hospital because of my kekkei genkai unlike everyone else in the clan. Someone with an immunity to the bloodline trait is beyond a rarity. It's almost an anomaly and it bred a lot of resentment from the rest of the clan when they found out that I was immune. When I was twelve, I was shunned by the clan and exiled by my own parents. I'd become a rebellious monster to them, and it just added to the reasons for them to hate me until they finally cracked and kicked me out.

"I laughed at them as I left, cursing every last one of them to die slow, painful deaths before me for what they'd done to me. I was so happy that I was finally free from their disapproving eyes and snide remarks about me. I traveled the world and came here to Konoha about two years later. Tsunade-sama had taken over as Hokage and I pretty much did whatever I wanted, training myself to master my bloodline trait and I became Konoha's youngest jounin since Uchiha Itachi and I was ecstatic. There was no one to look down on me or tell me that I was unwanted, unimportant, or worthless… I was finally free to be myself..." I grinned, remembering how much fun I had in those two short years that I traveled and the time when I first came to Konoha.

"You sound proud to be comparable to Uchiha Itachi despite all the damage he's done."

"Because I am. He's my idol. His accomplishments were amazing! He graduated from the Academy at the age of six, he'd unlocked and was proficient with his kekkei genkai at the age of eight, he was an ANBU captain by the age of fourteen, he wiped out the entire Uchiha clan at fifteen, and he became an S-ranked renegade ninja and joined a powerful organization called Akatsuki all by the time he was only sixteen years old! It's incredible!" I beamed in excitement, turning to face him. "I mean, just realizing that I'm almost as strong as he was at my age gives me the courage and confidence to keep going and become even stronger."

My face fell again as my negative side reminded me of one small detail; "almost." I wasn't quite on Itachi-dono's level yet, and even if I was, he was much older than me and had surpassed me and his old self by leaps and bounds. He wouldn't have remained stagnant and stayed at the same level of power for that long.

"You idolize someone who tried to kill you?" Neiji inquired, confused.

"He didn't, really. He was trying to capture me… Akatsuki is after me for my bloodline trait for some reason, so they need me alive…" I explained, looking away from him and off into space again.

"So that's what's been making you so gloomy and paranoid lately…" he sighed, wrapping his arms around me and pulling me closer to him. "Relax and don't worry… I'll protect you… I promise."

I sighed and closed my eyes, melting into his warm embrace, a slight tinge of pink dusting my cheeks. I felt safe with him despite him being a lower rank than me and it was strange. I'd never felt completely safe and at ease with anyone before. I'd always had to fend for and take care of myself and I'd never been able to trust my own clan members, let alone strangers. It was an odd sense of comfort that I had being with Neiji that I'd never had with anyone else before.

We stayed like that, soaking up the sun's warmth and each others' presence for a while until we'd dried off and he asked if I was ready to go back yet. When we'd gotten back to Konoha, we went out for ice cream and a walk in the park. As we were walking, I heard someone yelling my name, so I paused and looked around, trying to figure out who it was and where they were. They sounded desperate to find me and all of a sudden, Shigure-nii ran into view, looking around in a panic.

"Yoruko! Yoru-chan, where are you?! Yoruko!"

I grabbed Neiji's hand and started toward Shigure-nii. "Nii-san!" I called and when he heard and saw me, he quickly closed the distance between us and scooped me up in a tight embrace.

"Thank goodness you're alright," he sighed in relief.

"Yeah, I'm fine. What's going on?"

"Your house caught fire. Toshia and I thought that you were either still inside or that it was too late so when the fire department put the fire out and didn't find any remains, we started looking for you. We've been looking everywhere. Where have you been?"

"I was on a date. I wasn't even in the city until about fifteen minutes ago. How did my house catch fire?"

"Who cares? What matters is that you're safe… Since when have you had a boyfriend?"

"None of your business," I remarked, sticking my tongue out at him. "Where's Toshia-kun?"

"He went out to search the forest."

"Idiot!" I yelled and started running toward the city gate again, dropping my ice cream. "Sorry, Neiji! I'll make it up to you later!"

"I'm going with you," he said, running beside me with Shigure-nii on my other side.

"Please don't. If anything happens to you, I won't be able to forgive myself."

"I told you earlier that I'll protect you. No matter what you say, I'm going with you."

I growled in frustration despite the flattered blush rising to my cheeks and we continued our frantic search to find Toshia-kun. When we got into the forest we heard a yell up ahead and saw a group of birds take flight, so Neiji activated his Byakugan. I recognized the voice as Toshia-kun's, but Neiji said that he saw two people up ahead so we ran faster. I pulled out a few kunai from my pouch, along with some smoke bombs and we ran into a clearing and came face-to-face with my idol. Toshia-kun was standing across the clearing from Itachi-dono, glued to the spot with his eyes widened in fear and agony.

"Don't make eye contact with him!" I yelled to the others, throwing kunai at Itachi, making sure not to meet eyes with him, myself.

With Itachi-dono's attention diverted to me, I yelled for Neiji and Shigure-nii to take Toshia-kun and run as I threw the smoke bombs at Itachi-dono's feet and made a few clones of myself. They continued the kunai barrage while I made my hand signs and blew a puff of air in Itach-donoi's direction, praying that it hit him and he was paralyzed long enough for us to escape. In the fray, Shigure-nii had picked Toshia-kun up and before the smoke cleared, we'd all made a run for it. When we got back into the city's limits, we ran directly to Tsunade-sama's office. I knew she would be the only one knowledgeable and experienced enough to know what to do. When we burst through her doors and she saw Toshia-kun, she immediately stood up and hurried us to an empty room without even questioning anything. When she'd finally gotten Toshia-kun stabilized we returned to her office to give a report on what had happened.

"So they're after two people from Konoha but at the moment, they're only focused on you… I wonder why that is…" Tsunade-sama thought aloud. "As far as your house goes, the fire department concluded that it was a case of arson but the person responsible is still unknown. There weren't any witnesses but with your current situation, the chance that it was someone from Akatsuki is very high."

"I don't know much about the organization's members, but there's one that instantly comes to mind as a suspect and it's Uchiha Itachi. Their family crest is 'the fan that makes and controls fire' and all of their specialty jutsu are fire based," I explained and then chuckled. "If it was him, I'm kind of flattered. He's going through quite a bit of trouble to get me since he's the only one I've actually come into conflict with so far."

"Are you sick?" Shigure-nii asked as he placed his hand on my forehead.

"I'm fine, nii-san," I grumbled, pushing him away.

"Are you sure? For a moment there, I thought I heard you say that you were flattered to be hunted down by Konoha's most dangerous renegade."

"Hey!" Tsunade-sama hollered so Shigure-nii shut up and left me alone. "Seeing as you no longer have a house, I'm appointing Shigure as your guardian and you'll be living with him."

"What?!" I screeched in disbelief. "Do you have any idea how wrong that is, Tsunade-sama? And besides, even if I was living with him, I'd never be home. I'm telling you that now."

"It's true. She'd much rather avoid me than be around me any longer than she has to be. You also have to remember our age and gender differences, Tsunade-sama. How would it look to others if we were to live together? Why not let her stay with a friend of hers or one of the jounin or chuunin kunoishi?"

"Who would you suggest?"

"Well, there's Anko or Kurenai."

"No, Anko has special recon missions into Akatsuki territory. It would only put Yoruko in more danger and Kurenai is pregnant."

"What about Inuzuka Tsume?"

"Please no. She scares me," I blushed and Neiji and Shigure-nii chuckled.

"Why don't you come live with Hinata-sama and me?" Neiji suggested and my already red face deepened in color.

Hinata-san worked most of the day at the hospital so I would spend most of my time alone with Neiji. My mind registered that bit of information and started playing naughty scenarios and I caught myself chewing on my lip nervously.

"Yeah, Neiji-kun would be a very good host. He was determined to stay by her side and protect her today and having two Byakugan and Gentle Fist users could prove to be beneficial for her. And she'd be around people closer to her age who she actually enjoys spending time with so it wouldn't be so awkward for her," Shigure-nii advocated with a smile.

"Then it's settled. And to ensure your safety, Yoruko, you are never to travel alone. Understood?"

"Yes, Tsunade-sama…"

"You're dismissed."

Shigure-nii, Neiji, and I bowed before leaving and when we were out of sight and earshot of her office, I threw a fit.

"She's treating me like a little kid! It's not fair! I don't wanna bug everyone to take me if I wanna go somewhere! I just wanna go and not have to worry about it! Gah, this sucks!" I pouted.

"Yes, because you're not being childish at all right now," Shigure-nii chuckled.

"So spending time with me sucks?" Neiji smirked.

"You have to train more if you're going to be strong enough to take on Akatsuki," I grinned, taking hold of his hands and walking backward in front of him. "I'm a most wanted shinobi, you know. Do you think you could handle the pressure?"

He stopped and pulled me into his arms and traced my jaw line to my chin, gently tipping my head up and stared into my eyes. My face reddened and my breath caught in my throat as butterflies fluttered restlessly in my stomach.

"I will protect you… I swear it…" he said and I sighed, melting into him.

Shigure-nii cleared his throat and broke the trance between Neiji and me so we blushed and pulled away, averting our eyes from each other. He laughed and wrapped his arms around our shoulders.

"Neiji-kun, I trust that you'll protect my little sister with your life if that's what it takes. She's special so be good to her," he smiled.

"Nii-san, you're embarrassing me…" I blushed, not looking at either of them. "You don't have to act like I'm ten."


	7. Chapter 7

_**Author's note: **__**I do not own Naruto or any of its characters. I simply borrow them to use in my own sick, twisted fantasies. ^^ –Nira**_

_**P.S. I'm SOOOOOOOOOO sorry it's been such a long time since I've updated! My life started to get busy with going to school full time and working all the time. I really shouldn't even be typing right now because it's 1:30 in the morning and I have to be up at 7 to get to work, but I've gotten a bit of inspiration for a few of my stories. Since it's been forever and a year since I've updated, I thought I'd be nice and finally update so I'm giving you three chapters! I had seven and half of eight typed, but I never really felt like finishing, but now I have and I'm sharing them with you! Yay! Again, so sorry it's taken so long, but please enjoy. :) Thanks to everyone who has been patient and stuck with me from the beginning, and to those of you who have only recently stumbled upon this story and stuck with it anyway. I really appreciate your support. :)**_

Chapter Seven

((Yoruko's P.o.V.))

Pancakes, bacon, eggs, and tea were the scents that awoke me from my dream the next morning. I'd slept on a futon in Hinata-san's room and she'd lent me a pair of pajamas and an outfit to wear for the next day. I yawned and stretched, rubbing the sleep from my eyes before I got dressed and walked out of the room to the kitchen. Hinata-san was cooking and Neiji was sitting at the table. Both of them were smiling and talking and I felt out of place and like I was intruding.

"Good morning, Yoruko-san. I hope you're hungry," Hinata-san smiled.

"Definitely. It smells great," I smiled back, taking the seat beside Neiji and facing him. "So what's our schedule like for today?"

"While Hinata-sama is at work, we'll be shopping for a new wardrobe for you. Tsunade-sama sent you a gift card with a note that says there's enough on it to buy you a new apartment since your last place was insured."

My entire face lit up in excitement and Neiji was in for a long day. After breakfast, Hinata-san left for work and Neiji and I set out to go shopping and I was ecstatic. I'd never gone clothes shopping before. All of the clothes that I'd had had been either given to me by friends or collected piece by piece over the years since I first got to Konoha. When I left Sunagakure, I'd brought absolutely nothing with me. We went to every clothing store that was in Konoha and I bought enough clothes, shoes, and accessories to fill a small bathroom. I even splurged and bought gifts and presents for my friends. I'd needed to make clones to take things back to the house and deliver presents, I bought so much stuff.

When my spending spree had finally ended and my girlish desire for material things had been satiated, it was about seven hours later around four PM. Hinata-san didn't get off work until five thirty and Neiji had collapsed onto the couch, but I still needed to go grocery shopping so I called Shigure-nii to come get me. When he'd arrived at the door, he chuckled.

"Why couldn't Neiji-kun take you?" he inquired.

"He's asleep. I didn't want to wake him up. I think I overworked him today," I laughed.

"So you wear one chaperone out and move on to the next? You must have an expansive source of energy at your disposal."

"I guess so. Thanks for taking me anyway, Shigure nii-san."

"Thank you for the present. You really didn't have to, you know."

"I know, but it's the least I could do since everyone's been so kind to me since I got here."

After we went grocery shopping, Shigure-nii brought me back home, helping me carry the food, and I started making dinner. It had been forever since I'd made sushi, but I wanted to make something nice for Hinata-san and Neiji. I made two different kinds of sushi—tazuna sushi and futo maki—miso soup, tea, and mocha for dessert. It took me forever, but it was really fun and as I was setting the table, Hinata-san walked in.

"Yoruko-san, did you really make all of this on your own?" she gasped, eyeballing the array of food laid out on the table.

"Welcome home, Hinata-san. I hope you're hungry," I smiled.

Hinata-san walked over to the couch and shook Neiji awake, telling him that I'd made dinner in excitement. When Neiji had rubbed the sleep from his eyes and wandered into the kitchen and Hinata-san had gotten settled and joined us, they both sat at the table in astonishment.

"What's all this for?" Neiji asked.

"It's just my way of saying thank you for everything you've both done for me. It's also my apology for being such a burden to the both of you and taking up space in your home."

"Itadakimasu!" Hinata-san smiled and was the first to take a bite.

Neiji and I soon followed after, and the day of shopping and cooking had really made my appetite into something voracious. It was delicious and all of my hard work had paid off in the end.

"This is so good!" Hinata-san beamed and I blushed.

"No it's not. I'm sure you've had better…" I mumbled, poking at my sushi.

After dinner, Hinata-san made room for my new clothes in her closet while Neiji washed the dishes and I started organizing everything that I'd bought and sneaked Neiji's and Hinata-san's presents in their rooms while they were distracted. When I'd finally finished putting everything away, I flopped onto my futon with a sigh and a smile on my face as I stared up at the ceiling. I'd had a lot of fun and gotten a lot done in just a half of a day.

I'd had a question that I'd wanted to ask Neiji, so I jumped up, finally remembering what it was. When I got to his room and knocked on the door, he didn't answer, so I cracked it open and peeked inside. He was fast asleep on his bed with his clothes still on and his headphones in so I smiled, walked over, and removed his headphones. I slipped his MP3 player out of his hand before turning it off and setting it on his nightstand and kissed him before I turned off the light and silently closed the door behind me. I woke up the next day to Neiji softly calling my name and caressing my cheek.

"Yoruko, it's time to get up. Yoruko…"

My eyes fluttered open and I buried my face into my pillow to yawn. When I turned my head back with my eyes closed, Neiji kissed my forehead and I blushed, fully awake now that my face felt like it was burning and my heart was racing.

"Good morning. Are you hungry?" he asked.

I sat up, kicking my legs over him and the side of the futon so I was sitting beside him and leaned on his shoulder. We sat in silence like that for a while just holding hands until I stood up and stretched, asking if Hinata-san had already gone to work.

"Yeah, she left before either of us woke up."

"What time is it? Did we really sleep that late? I wanted to at least say good-bye to her before she left," I pouted.

"If you want, we can go visit her at the hospital."

"Sure… but what's the plan for the day?"

"After breakfast we're going to train with Naruto."

"Alright. I'll start getting ready."

"We're going to the café. You're always saying that their food is really good, so I thought I'd try it for myself this time."

I smiled and raided my side of the closet for something to wear. I took a quick shower and got dressed in loose fitting black pants with a silver and blue dragon curling up and around my leg and a silver sakura embroidered blue shirt with an angel flap sleeve that ended just under my chest. I pulled my hair up into a sloppy bun with my bangs hanging and wore my blue forehead protector and black flats.

"You look great," Neiji breathed, somewhat awestruck, so I blushed and looked at the ground with an impish grin across my face.

When we got to the café after saying "hi" to Hinata-san, we sat in my usual spot and I ordered my usual meal while Neiji ordered a yakisoba dish with peach ginger tea, another of my favorites. I'd never had the café's soba so I stole some from Neiji while he stole some of my steamed cod. The soba was really good, so we'd both ended up eating off of each other's plate as well as our own. Afterward, we walked to Naruto-kun's house to pick him up so we could start training.

"Hey guys! Ready to train?!" Naruto-kun beamed.

"I guess," I chuckled. "Where are we going, anyway?"

"I was thinking that the mountain would be a good place. What do you think?" Neiji inquired.

"Sure, sounds great," Naruto-kun and I agreed, so we started walking toward it.

"What are you going to work on today, Yoruko-chan?" Naruto-kun asked.

"Taijutsu. I've mastered my ninjutsu and genjutsu techniques but since they consume so much chakra, I can't always rely on them. That, and I don't seriously want to hurt either of you."

"You won't. We're tough. We can handle it," he smiled.

"No you couldn't. My blood and chakra aren't the same as a normal person's. They're incurable poisons that are deadly in large doses. It's my bloodline trait kind of like Neiji's Byakugan or Sasuke's Sharingan except mine never turns off," I explained.

"That explains everything! No wonder Tenten's in the hospital. That's so cool!"

"Cool? I hate it… It's a curse… It shouldn't exist…" I muttered, getting lost in a flashback.

I'd just gotten to Konoha and Tsunade-sama had assigned me to a cell as an official Konoha jounin. The three of us were training two against one with me being the one and I'd kept using petty jutsu against them to try to give me the upper hand and slow them down. I didn't think that I'd hit them with much chakra at all so when it had finally caught up and they'd passed out, I assumed that they'd be fine and wake up in a week. A week came and went and I started to worry when they didn't wake up. When the nurse at the hospital told me that they were just getting worse, I panicked. Another week rolled along, then a month, then two and they still hadn't woken up. There was nothing that anyone could do. They were in comas and their bodies were slowly rotting away.

I called their names, Rinku-san and Enishi-san, begging them to wake up. I desperately wanted it all to be a dream and I wanted to wake up and see them smiling down at me because they'd found me taking a nap in the forest and ditching training again… but they wouldn't wake up. It wasn't a dream… I'd killed my teammates and I could never take it back.

Their faces contorted and eyes glossed over and they called out my name, moaning and complaining that I was a horrible person. They were grabbing at me from everywhere, dragging me down to the ground and asking why I'd done it—why I'd killed them. I screamed and struggled against them, tears running down my cheeks and begging for their forgiveness. It was an accident. I didn't mean to. I apologized over and over again, kicking and screaming and sobbing and trying to get out of their deadly grip.

Then I felt it and everything froze and went silent. Calming warmth washed through me and I melted into it. It was a pair of sweet, silken pillows against my lips and it tasted like soba noodles and steamed cod and I slowly came back to my senses.

((Neiji's P.o.V.))

All of a sudden Yoruko had stopped walking and as I looked back at her, her eyes had gone distant and glazed over with horror and she slowly sank to her knees. Naruto and I called her name, gently shaking her but she was lost to whatever she was seeing. She struggled against us, sobbing apologies and pleas to forgive her, repeating over and over again that it was an accident and she hadn't meant to. We tried and tried to bring her back for about five minutes, growing more and more frustrated and worried.

What was she seeing? What was she talking about? I didn't know what was going on, but she was struggling with something painful and I didn't know how to get through to her. I'd vowed to protect her and had told myself that I would make her smile or happy, no matter what, but I couldn't even do that. Out of frustration, I cradled her in my lap pinning her arms down and pressed my lips to hers. If my voice and touch couldn't get through to her, maybe sharing a part of my soul with her would and let her know that it was me—that I was there for her.


	8. Chapter 8

_**Author's note: **__**I do not own Naruto or any of its characters. I simply borrow them to use in my own sick, twisted fantasies. ^^ –Nira**_

Chapter Eight

((Yoruko's P.o.V.))

I kissed back and his lips slowly left mine. He stared into my eyes with fear and worry dominating his expression and tears pooled on my bottom lid. Soon, they were spilling over and wouldn't stop. I clung to Neiji, silently bawling into his chest and feeling helpless and vulnerable and dirty all at once. I knew he was worried, but I couldn't tell him what I'd been seeing. I couldn't tell him that I'd killed my comrades. He'd turn away from me.

"Shhhh… I'm here… I'm here for you…" he cooed, holding me close and kissing the top of my head.

"I'm sorry… I'm s-so sor-ry," I sobbed, unsure if I was apologizing for crying, not telling him what was wrong and making him worry, or if I was still apologizing to Rinku and Enishi.

"Just let it go, Yoruko… It was an accident. You didn't mean to… It's over now… You've suffered enough…"

My eyes widened and I pulled away from Neiji, looking at him in confusion and disbelief. He tucked a stray lock of hair behind my ear, staring back and cupping my cheek, a sad but warm smile spread across his face.

"It's okay… I'm here… I'll always be here. I swear it."

I closed my eyes as more tears snuck out, holding his warm hand to my cheek. He wiped away my tears and tenderly traced my cheek to my chin before tilting it up just ever so slightly and kissing me. When he pulled away, I smiled and sighed, blushing and contented.

"Why didn't you guys tell me you were dating?! Since when?!" Naruto-kun hollered, shattering the moment and bringing us back to the present and reality.

"Well, Naruto-kun, you're actually the first to know. He asked me out the other night at your party when we were locked in the closet for Seven Minutes in Heaven. We'd just had an unspoken agreement not to tell anyone for a while," I explained.

"Why?"

"I didn't want any trouble from Tenten, but we all saw how that turned out."

"Why would Tenten give you trouble?" Neiji asked.

"I'm not the one to tell you that and I'm torn between whether I want her to tell you or not… The results could be bad for me, but it would probably be for the better for you…"

"What are you talking about?" Naruto-kun inquired, confused as I was deep in thought.

"Nothing, nothing, just thinking aloud," I chuckled nervously.

"Women are confusing…"

"Really, you have no idea. Wanna know a little secret about girls?"

"What is it?"

"We hardly ever know what we really want and our thoughts almost always contradict themselves."

"Doesn't that get annoying?"

"Yup. Now, we came all the way up here to train, right? Why are we standing around talking? Let's get to work already!"

I pulled a kunai from my pouch and threw it at Neiji and despite being caught off guard, he dodged to the side and it missed him. Naruto-kun countered by throwing a shuriken at me and I laughed, excited to be training with two of my favorite people in the village. Taijutsu wasn't my strong point, but by the end of our training session with both Neiji and Naruto-kun against me, I'd made significant leaps and bound in bettering it. I hadn't used any genjutsu or ninjutsu against them in fear of a repeat of my early days in Konoha and the vow that I'd made to myself to only use taijutsu before we started made sure that I didn't use any of my chakra aimed toward them. By the time we'd finished it was getting dark and all of us were pretty beaten up and worn out and had seen better days.

"Yoruko-chan, that was great! You should try training with Guy-sensei and Bushy Brows. They could definitely help you improve your taijutsu," Naruto-kun smiled as we walked back to the heart of the village.

"I could see how much you've improved already. Lee and Guy-sensei would be good tutors, but if you decide to train with them, I'm forewarning you. They're really intense," Neiji sighed.

"Thanks. I'll keep that in mind," I chuckled.

"You know what would be great right now to finish up a long day of training?" Naruto-kun beamed, licking his lips.

"What's that?"

"Ichiraku ramen!"

I laughed and Neiji grinned as we agreed and made our way to the little ramen shop. After dinner, Neiji and I went home and got cleaned up. After my shower I got dressed in my pajamas and made some green tea and onigiri to snack on, flopping onto the couch and channel surfing while Neiji took his shower. When he'd finished, he walked out of the bathroom with his towel draped around his shoulders and wearing baggy sweat pants with his hair down. He slumped down on the couch next to me with a sigh and I stared at him for a moment. I'd never really noticed how long or pretty his hair was before. I wanted to play with it but I didn't want to ask. I thought it'd be weird. When he realized that I was staring, he looked at me with a quizzical expression.

"What?"

I smiled and giggled to myself before I suggested that we watch a movie and stood up to raid the DVD collection. When I'd picked a movie and gone to return to my seat, Neiji had thrown his leg up on the couch with his knee bent and his arm rested on it. He looked comfortable and relaxed and he smiled at me with his arms open and welcoming me to come into them. I gave him a peck on the lips before taking the invitation and lying between his legs and on his chest while he wrapped his arms around me. I aimlessly traced random patterns on his arm and he'd periodically kiss the top of my head throughout the movie, but somewhere around halfway, I'd fallen asleep to his steady breathing and rhythmic heartbeat feeling completely safe and comfortable in his arms.

"Yoruko-san, Neiji-kun, wake up. You'll be sore if the morning if you stay on the couch," Hinata-san smiled, gently shaking us awake.

I shot into a sitting position, blushing when it dawned on me that I was laying on Neiji still and that he was still shirtless. I tried to change the subject, probably not as smoothly as I'd though it was.

"Hinata-san, when did you get home?" I inquired as I rubbed sleep from my eyes and stood up, stretching. Neiji rolled off of the couch and lazily ran the towel through his hair as he walked to his room.

"Just a few minutes ago. I'd put in some overtime at work since some of the ANBU just got back from a risky mission and they needed help."

"Oh… sorry we didn't greet you when you first walked in."

"It's okay. You looked tired."

"Yeah, training was pretty intense today."

"How was your day, Hinata-sama?" Neiji asked, walking back into the living room with a shirt on.

"It was pretty busy. Before I left, though, I checked on Tenten. She's still unconscious, but she's stable," she informed us as she rummaged through the kitchen for something to eat.

"I'm glad," I meekly grinned in relief. "Hinata-san, if you're hungry, I made onigiri earlier. They're probably cold by now, but I could heat them up for you, if you'd like."

"I like them cold. Thank you very much," she smiled wide and I couldn't help but smile back.

It had been three days since I'd hospitalized her but as long as she was stable, she'd wake up once the poison wore off in a few more days. I made a fresh pot of tea, as well, and the three of us sat around the table drinking tea and chatting while Hinata-san ate her onigiri. When we'd finished, Neiji went to bed and Hinata-san and I walked to our room and I got situated and tucked into bed while Hinata-san put her pajamas on.

"Yoruko-san… are you and Neiji-kun dating?" she asked, blushing.

"It's that obvious, huh?" I blushed. "Yeah, we are. Sorry. We were going to tell you. It's still pretty early in the relationship and we weren't really sure if we could call it serious, so we didn't really want to tell anyone and make a big deal out of it."

"It's okay. I understand," she chuckled. "It was since the party, wasn't it? I could tell by the look you'd given each other after your turn in the closet during Seven Minutes in Heaven."

"You caught it that early? You're so observant, Hinata-san," I giggled.

"Well, I knew that you liked him before the party, and I had clues that he liked you, too, when he brought you flowers while you were in the hospital. He always asked a lot of questions about you, too, so it wasn't too big of a surprise that he'd asked you out." She turned the light off and crawled into bed, getting comfortable. "Hey Yoruko-san, do you mind if I ask one more question?"

"Sure, go ahead."

"I know it's still early a-and it's really none of my business, but… um… do you… do you l-love, Neiji-kun?"

I was silent for a moment as I thought about it. "Honestly, I don't know… I've never been in love before, so how would I know if I was in love with Neiji-kun now?"

"I th-think if you l-loved someone, you would always be thinking about them and wondering what they're doing and if they're safe, a-and you'd always want to spend time with them. And just seeing them or thinking about them or being near them would make you smile and feel fluttery inside," she sighed contentedly and when I glanced at her, I saw that she was smiling and twiddling with her fingers.

"Hinata-san… are you in love?" I asked after a short pause.

"I-I don't know!" she exclaimed, flustered.

"You sound like you are… and at the party, I saw how you were looking at Naruto-kun like he was your entire world wrapped up in a blue-eyed, blonde-haired loudmouthed knuckle-headed ninja," I chuckled. "Why haven't you told him?"

"I get so nervous around him that I just can't speak sometimes… The words just don't want to come out and when I finally get the courage to try, something always distracts him and I lose my confidence again," she blushed and I remained silent, thinking for a moment.

"Naruto-kun would be a lucky man to have you, Hinata-san… and I don't think I'm quite in love with Neiji-kun yet, but I think I'm getting there," I smiled.

"He's much gentler with you around, Yoruko-san," she yawned. "It would make me happy if you two stayed together. You make a good couple."

"Thanks, Hinata-san," I grinned as she began snoring lightly. "Sleep well."


	9. Chapter 9

_**Author's note: **__**I do not own Naruto or any of its characters. I simply borrow them to use in my own sick, twisted fantasies. ^^ –Nira**_

Chapter Nine

The next few days were about the same with Neiji-kun and me training with Naruto-kun, Lee-kun, or the InoShikaChou trio. Sometimes we'd train with Kiba-kun or Guy-sensei, too. After training, we'd go home, get cleaned up and take a nap or watch T.V. together, eat dinner with Hinata-san, and go to bed. Tenten had woken up from her comatose state and was going through physical rehabilitation with the help of Sakura-san or Hinata-san, and within just a few days after waking up, she was back to normal.

One day she'd come by the house when Neiji and I had taken a day off from training to relax for a bit and I'd answered the door since Neiji was in the bathroom. She asked if she and I could go for a walk together to talk, so I agreed and we aimlessly wandered around the city in silence for a while. She was shooting me nasty looks the whole walk and I remained calm and apathetic. We finally stopped in the park and sat down on a bench.

"I read the note…" she stated. "Why do you want me to apologize to him? Shouldn't you apologize, yourself? You spend every waking moment of your day with him."

"I should… but I wasn't sure if I'd have the time… and if I do it, he might be angry and probably heartbroken, too. I can't do that to him. I can't blatantly hurt him… it wouldn't be fair…"

"So why are you asking me to do it? Why not someone else?"

"Because you can be completely honest with him like I never could…" I explained, my eyes downcast to the ground where I kicked at a small rock.

"What are you talking about?"

"You can tell him the truth. Tell him that I'm a horrible person who makes decisions that she knows could be bad without consulting anyone else. Tell him that I'm selfish and cowardly. Tell him anything that you want about how terrible of a person I am. Confess your love for him and prove to him that you're a much better and safer choice than I ever was."

I finally looked up at her and her eyes had widened slightly and stared into mine. I continued, "Tenten, you deserve Neiji-kun much more than I do. I really am selfish and cowardly and some decisions that I'd made would break his heart if he knew. I don't want to hurt him. I just want him to be happy, and I know that you can do that for him."

"What did you decide that would hurt him so badly if he knew that you can't even tell him yourself?" she glared.

"I can't tell you… but I can tell you that if I'd made a different choice, I would be putting Konoha in danger. Konoha is my home even if I wasn't born here, and I have people here who have become like a family to me. I'd never forgive myself if Neiji-kun or Hinata-san or any of my comrades were to get hurt because of me…"

"You're leaving, aren't you?" she asked, her eyes wide and tear filled, a slight blush across her cheeks. "You love him… don't you?"

"I'm not asking you to forgive me… what I did to you was terrible, and I'm sorry, but please… I'm begging you to do this for him and for Konoha when I'm gone and not a moment sooner. You have to promise me."

She nodded but I could see the bitter defiance in her eyes. I knew that she was going to try to stop me for Neiji's sake. She loved him and she knew that if everything that I'd just explained to her was true, it would crush Neiji. No matter how much she hated me for stealing him from her or putting her in the hospital, she knew she couldn't take my place in Neiji's heart. It wouldn't work, no matter how badly she wanted it to. She wanted him to be happy just like I did, so she wouldn't allow me to hurt him, even if it meant hurting herself in turn.

"If that's all you wanted to talk about, I'm going to go home now," I sighed as I stood up to leave, and she stood and started walking in the opposite direction.

An uncomfortable knot had been forming in my stomach since I'd left the house with Tenten, knowing the subject of what she'd wanted to talk about. It was an uneasy feeling like something big was going to happen and that the time for me to leave was drawing nearer and nearer, so I took the long way home. I passed by all of the places that held fond memories of the last three years that I'd spent in Konoha, enjoying the scenery and saying my bittersweet goodbyes. When I finally got back home and opened the door calling to Neiji that I was home, a hand covered my mouth before I could finish and I could feel the cold metal of the blade of a kunai pressed to my throat.

"Come quietly and this will be easy," came the familiar voice of my idol, Uchiha Itachi in my ear.

I sighed, resigned to my fate, but Neiji had been coming to see who was at the door and quickly went on the offensive, activating his Byakugan and drawing a few kunai when he saw the situation that I was in.

"You won't take her!" he hollered, throwing the kunai.

Itachi pulled me with him as he jumped back and as Neiji charged, Itachi released a genjutsu. Neiji froze in place and I leaked my chakra out so Itachi quickly let me go, feeling my chakra soak into his arm.

"Wait!" I hollered as I faced him, getting between him and Neiji and being drawn into his genjutsu.

We were standing in front of the house still, but everything was stained red and there were crows flying around everywhere. Itachi was standing in front of me and both of us were calm.

"He has nothing to do with this. Please... I'll go with you. Just please don't hurt him. I'll take care of him. He won't be a problem and he won't follow us... I swear."

A moment passed as Itachi thought about it and finally decided to trust me. He released me from the genjutsu and I immediately turned to Neiji and wrapped my arms around him oozing my chakra into him and calling his name to release him from the genjutsu as well. He quickly came to and looked down at me in bewilderment. I looked back at him with tears in my eyes and stopped my force-feeding of chakra. I wanted to knock him out, not kill him.

"Yoruko, what's going on?"

I shook my head "no" and snaked my arms around his neck, passionately pressing my lips to his as the tears freely flowed down my face. He firmly pushed me away and held me at arm's length, confusion and betrayal in his eyes as he searched mine. I caressed his cheek as his grip started to loosen and his eyes started to glaze over. I took a few steps back and out of his reach before turning and walking to Itachi.

"Yoruko… w-why?" Neiji croaked as Itachi and I walked away.

I didn't look back when I heard him fall onto the ground, but I bit my lip and kept walking with Itachi, my silent tears coming down like torrential rain and my heart breaking more and more with each step away from him.

_I'm sorry, Neiji…_


	10. Chapter 10

_**Author's note: **__**I do not own Naruto or any of its characters. I simply borrow them to use in my own sick, twisted fantasies. ^^ –Nira**_

Chapter Ten

I followed Itachi for days to an underground cave that was kind of concealed and hard to find if you didn't know what to look for. When we walked in it was pitch black but slightly farther in I could see torches lit and mounted on the cave walls. We walked and walked through winding tunnels past closed doors with a torch on either side. Eventually we'd reached a door identical to all of the others and Itachi turned the handle and walked in, so I followed closely behind. We came into a dark room and all I could see were nine shadowed faces and the red clouded black cloaks. Itachi left my side to join the line and I stood there, apathetic, my eyes wandering from unfocused face to unfocused face.

"Why did we go through all that trouble to capture her, un? She seems normal to me… un… What's so special about this girl, Pein? … un…" the blurry face framed by long blonde hair asked and I could feel everyone's eyes probing and scanning me up and down.

"Care to find out?" I snapped. "I'd be more than happy to show you, teme."

"She's the one who knocked Itachi unconscious for a week without even touching him. You put up one hell of a fight back then, ne?" came the familiar voice of the shark man who was Itachi's partner, Kisame, with a chuckle.

"Why am I here? Obviously you want something from me, otherwise you would have killed me long ago," I demanded.

"I want your kekkei genkai. It might become of use to us," said an unfamiliar, monotonous voice.

"Are you asking me to join you? Is that what this is about?"

"'Asking' is the nice way of putting it, un," the blonde chuckled mischievously.

"I have a stipulation," I stated.

"Oh?" came the monotonous voice again.

"Nothing happens to Konoha. If you can't agree to that, kill me now and be done with it. I'll refuse to offer my kekkei genkai to you."

"What makes you think that we won't kill you?" came a smooth, low voice.

"You need me for some reason, obviously. If you didn't, you wouldn't have gone through all the trouble to get me here. So, we can make this easy or difficult. The choice is yours."

It was silent for a while as they debated on what to do, but finally they agreed that nothing would happen to Konoha. The monotonous one went on to explain that if at any point I was to betray Akatsuki, share any information about the group, or leave, it would be punishable by death. I got down on one knee and bowed my head in submission and vowed to be a loyal member of the group and take everything I would learn with me to the grave. I was presented a cloak and shown to a room by the only other female in the organization. She had blue hair with a paper rose holding her bangs to the right side of her head, and her eyes were dark blue. She didn't say much and her expression never really seemed to change from apathy, but I felt a little more comfortable with her being there so that I wasn't the only girl.

My room was simple. There was a bed, a desk with a chair and a lamp, a bookshelf, and a few nails hammered into the wall to hang clothes from. It was dark and when Konan left, closing the door behind her, I looked around the small space and my soul seemed to shatter. I fell to my knees and everything went numb and black. I'd just sold myself to Akatsuki.

((Neiji's P.O.V.))

I'd woken up in a hospital bed and looked around in bewilderment. Tenten was sitting in a chair beside my bed and tackled me back onto the bed when she saw that I'd finally come to.

"I was so worried!" she sobbed. "I'm so glad that you're okay!"

I tried to push her away, but my muscles didn't seem to want to respond no matter how hard I tried to move so I growled in frustration. I had to get up. I needed to talk to Tsunade-sama and find Yoruko. I needed to know what was going on. Hinata-sama walked in shortly after with a clipboard in hand and smiled seeing that I was awake.

"Thank goodness. Welcome back, Neiji-kun. When I first saw you on the ground outside the house, I thought you were dead. What happened?" she inquired.

"I have to go…" I stated, still struggling to move and getting more and more frustrated with each failed attempt. "I need to talk to Tsunade-sama."

"Your muscles were inactive for so long that they've kind of lost their strength. You'll be able to move around again within a couple days with rehab. Please be patient, Neiji-kun," Hinata-sama explained.

"I don't have a couple of days! I have to go now," I growled, forcing myself with all of my might and will power to move, and slowly but surely, I managed to get my head and shoulders off of the bed.

"You'll never get to Tsunade-sama's office at this rate," Tenten half smiled, wrapping my arm around her shoulders and helping me up.

"I have to stay here, but please be safe and careful, Neiji-kun, Tenten," Hinata-sama called after us.

"Thank you, Tenten," I half smiled, my thoughts and emotions running rampant.

We burst through the doors to Tsunade-sama's office and she glared at us from her stack of paperwork for being so rude.

"Tsunade-sama, it's an emergency. It's Yoruko…" I declared and she immediately dropped her pen, calling to Shizune to fetch Shigure and Toshia. Not much longer later, they barged in as well, out of breath and with concerned and fearful expressions.

"What's going on? Where's Yoru-chan?" Shigure demanded, eyeing me in my pathetic state.

"I don't know…" I frowned, my eye brows furrowing.

"What do you mean you don't know?! You were supposed to be watching and protecting her!" Toshia yelled.

"Protecting her from what?" Tenten inquired, but her question went ignored.

"God damn it, Hyuuga! You just let those Akatsuki bastards take our sister away?! I knew we shouldn't have trusted you with protecting her! You're still just a chuunin! Some freaking genius you are!" Toshia ranted.

"Who's Akatsuki? And why did they want Yoruko?" Tenten asked, but again, she was ignored.

"I don't know! I'd gone to the bathroom and when I came back out, she was gone!" I snapped, just as frustrated. "When she came back all I saw was her at the door with Itachi behind her holding a kunai to her neck, so I attacked. The next thing I knew, I was released from his genjutsu by Yoruko as she was forcing her chakra into me, so I pushed her away and as I was passing out, she turned and willingly walked away with him."

"So she wasn't kidding when she said she'd go willingly…" Shigure sighed.

"Where could she have gone, and why would she leave on her own after I ordered her not to go anywhere alone?" Tsunade-sama fumed.

"She wasn't alone…" Tenten spoke up and everyone finally acknowledged her. "Yoruko and I had gotten into a fight about two weeks ago and I was unconscious for a week. While I was unconscious, she'd left a note for me in my hand. I read it and when I was released, I asked Hinata-san if she knew where I could find her, so when I did, I asked for her to go on a walk with me so I could ask her about the note she'd left. I didn't know that she wasn't supposed to be alone. I didn't know anything. We walked and talked, and after we talked, she stood up and walked off somewhere. Who is Akatsuki and why did they want Yoruko?"

"Akatsuki is an organization of elite S-ranked renegade shinobi including Uchiha Itachi and formerly including Orochimaru. We don't know much about them except that they're all incredibly talented and dangerous. As far as why they wanted Yoruko, we don't know..." Tsunade-sama explained.

"I remember her leaving the note. Lee and I were there when she did, but she didn't tell us what it said," I stated.

"The note asked me to apologize to you for her, Neiji-kun, for a decision that she'd made. I didn't have any details so I wanted to ask what she was talking about and what I needed to apologize for. On our walk, we stopped to talk in the park and even then, she wouldn't give me details. She just said that if she'd apologized, herself, it would have broken your heart and that it had to be me to do it because I could be completely honest with you while she could never tell you the whole truth. She also said that if she'd made a different decision, it would have put you and Konoha in danger. She said she couldn't forgive herself if anything bad was to happen to you or anyone in the village and it dawned on me that she was leaving.

"She wanted me to tell you that she was a horrible, selfish, coward of a person and that you should hate her. She wanted you to hate and forget about her because she thought it would be better for you. She just wanted you to be happy and she thought that I would be a better and safer choice than she was and that I could make you happier than she could have. I didn't understand what she was talking about, but I knew that if she was telling the truth, her leaving really would break your heart. I couldn't let her hurt you because I love you, Neiji-kun. I've tried and tried for so long to catch your attention, Neiji-kun, but in such a short time, Yoruko showed up and stole your heart. I got jealous. I wanted to be the one you fell in love with, but no matter what I did, you never seemed to notice… It's too late, now, though. You love her. I can see it when you're together, so I knew I had to do something."

Tenten's eyes were filled with tears and she'd crumpled to her knees.

"I wanted to tell you that she was leaving. I wanted to tell you so you could stop her. After she'd left, I went to find you. I looked everywhere. I thought you'd gone on a mission or were training, but you weren't anywhere I thought you'd be. I wanted you to stop her even though if you did, it would hurt me to know that I helped you stay together and that my chances of ever having you for myself would be nearly impossible," she continued. Tenten's tortured eyes turned to look up at me and I could feel her heart and soul crying, too. It was so powerful that it was suffocating but my heart was racing as the story unfolded. "Neiji-kun, she knew... She knew that if she stayed, Akatsuki would tear the town apart to find her and people would get hurt trying to protect her. She was afraid that you would get hurt or killed. She couldn't put you in a dangerous situation like that just to protect her. She didn't feel that she was worth protecting if it meant that you would have to risk your life. Neiji-kun, she left because she loves you."

Everything seemed to stop but my head felt like it was spinning and throwing everything else in the world off balance with the weight of Tenten's last sentence. The words echoed through the vast speechlessness that had suddenly overcome my thoughts.

_Neiji-kun, she left because she loves you... she left because she loves you… because she loves you… she loves you…_

"I could see it in her eyes. She looked resigned to her decision, but when she talked about you, Neiji-kun, her entire being seemed to soften and she'd have a sad smile across her face, knowing that she was leaving you. I'm sorry. I wanted to tell you so you could stop her, but when I finally found you, it was too late! I'm so sorry, Neiji-kun!" Tenten sobbed, hugging her arms across her chest.

…_because she loves you…_


	11. Chapter 11

_**Author's note: **__**I do not own Naruto or any of its characters. I simply borrow them to use in my own sick, twisted fantasies. ^^ –Nira**_

Chapter Eleven

((Yoruko's P.O.V.))

It was strange being one of the only two female Akatsuki members. It's not that I wasn't used to hanging out with guys, it's just that in Akatsuki, I was constantly watched and sized up by them. No matter where I went or what I did there was always another member nearby, watching me, usually the guys since Konan was practically joined at the hip with the leader, Pein who had facial piercings, short, spiked orange hair, and the legendary Rinnegan of the Sage of Six Paths. It was suffocating having so much attention all the time, but it was understandable since I'd begrudgingly joined and didn't really want to be there. They didn't trust me.

I'd wandered outside to get some fresh air one day and sat down on a boulder near the cave's entrance but I felt someone's presence following me the whole time. Eventually I got fed up and sighed, "Whoever you are, what do you want? I'm not running away so you don't have to stalk me."

Itachi-dono emerged from the shadows and walked over to stand beside me, still not saying anything. I glanced at him and smirked. "First you follow me around in Konoha and now here? If I didn't know any better, I'd think you had a thing for me, Itachi-dono."

"It's an order from Pein. He doesn't trust you."

"…but you do?" I asked, glancing at him, but he remained silent. "Thanks…"

"What are you thanking me for?"

"For not hurting Neiji… and for trusting me to take care of him so he wouldn't follow us…"

It was silent again for a while but Itachi-dono was the first to break it; "You could have easily killed me… Why didn't you?"

"It's kind of complicated, really," I chuckled. "I'm intimidated by you. I know what you've done and accomplished and I know that I'm nowhere near ready enough to fight you fairly yet. And I know that you're waiting for your all-or-nothing fight to the death with Sasuke-kun. I know a lot about you… I've kind of idolized you and it's both a hindrance and an asset. I guess I'm just waiting until I feel I've gotten strong enough to have my turn for a fair one-on-one fight against you."

"If I didn't know any better, I'd say that you had a thing for me, Yoruko…"

"Call it what you will, but I have every intention of killing you one day if Sasuke-kun fails to. I promise you that, Itachi-dono."

"I'm looking forward to it."

My cheeks reddened and I smiled meekly. He'd acknowledged me as a worthy opponent. The man I'd idolized since I'd heard of him when I was a child acknowledged me as a worthy opponent. It made me almost giddy but my school girlishness was short lived when my stomach growled and I blushed in embarrassment. I sighed and stood up, stretching, trying to play it off and hoping and that Itachi-dono hadn't heard it.

"Itachi-dono, do we have a kitchen here? I mean I've been here for what, two weeks now? But I still haven't figured out where anything is and someone always brings food to me. They must make it somewhere in the base, right?" I asked.

He told me to follow him and we walked into the base and through dim hall after dim hall, just like when I'd first arrived, and he walked through a door that was identical to all of the other doors. It was really annoying and I made a mental note to myself to draw out a map so I wouldn't get lost. Surprisingly, the kitchen was fairly light and fully equipped and stocked. I rummaged through the cabinets and fridge to see what I could come up with and what sounded good. Apparently I was making a commotion because a few of the members had congregated at the door, watching me.

"What is she doing, un?" Deidara, the guy with long blonde hair in a high ponytail and dark eye liner on inquired.

"I'm hungry so I'm cooking. What does it look like I'm doing?" I asked in turn as I set a pot of water and a kettle on the stove for miso soup and tea. I also started preparing vegetables, chicken, and rice for stir fried rice and teriyaki chicken.

"What are you making?" Sasori, the short red-headed puppet master from my home town, Sunagakure asked. He was the one with the low, smooth voice from the first day I got there.

"Fried rice, miso soup, and teriyaki chicken," I smiled.

"Where's the teriyaki sauce, un?" Deidara interceded.

"I'm going to make it."

"Sounds tedious and like it's going to take forever, un."

"Who said I was making any for you?" I snapped. "I don't see you in here cooking, so shut up."

"You can't be making all that for yourself… un!"

"I never said I was. Everyone except Deidara is welcome to help their selves once I've finished," I smiled to the rest of the observing crowd that included the orange swirl masked Tobi, Kisame and the Venus fly trap half black, half white Zetsu.

"That's not fair, un! I'll steal a plate and there's nothing you can do about it, un!" Deidara declared.

"You really wanna try me, blondie?" I smirked challengingly. "I could very easily poison it so even if you did steal a plate, it would only be your own fault when you went into a coma."

"I—! How could—?! But—! Fine! I don't want your food anyway, teme! It probably tastes like crap, un!"

I laughed, seeing him get so flustered over a plate of food. "I'm just kidding, Deidara. I don't care if you have a plate or not. I'm just making a bunch and whoever wants some can have some. It'll take about a half hour for it to be finished, though, if you don't mind the wait."

"Tobi doesn't mind. He can wait," Tobi replied cheerfully and I smiled at him. He was taller and older than me, but I still thought he was childish and kind of cute for speaking in the third person.

When I'd finished cooking, I made a plate for myself and brought it and a cup of tea with me back to my room and sat listening to music and sketching as I ate. I came back about an hour later to wash my dishes and get more tea and I found Sasori-san at the sink washing dishes. The food had been demolished and there wasn't even a grain of rice left. I smiled and walked over to help Sasori-san with the dishes. He glanced at me to see who it was, but he didn't complain or say anything for a while.

"The food was really good," he said.

"Thank you," I smiled. "And thanks for cleaning up, too."

"Nobody else ever does."

"I'll keep that in mind," I chuckled.

We finished washing the dishes in silence and went our separate ways to our rooms. I flopped onto my bed and started a new sketch, still listening to music and falling asleep before I'd finished. I awoke the next morning with tears in my eyes and a wet spot on my blanket beside my notebook where my head had been rested. Every morning, I woke up like that because I'd been crying in my sleep from dreaming about Neiji. I missed him so much but whenever I was around the other members, I pretended that everything was fine and normal so they would have one less reason to distrust me. The truth was that I wanted to leave so I could be in Neiji's arms again but no matter how much I wanted to, I couldn't. I'd sworn my life and soul to Akatsuki. I was their slave now.

I stared up at the ceiling of the room and sighed, wondering what Neiji was doing at the moment and what he was thinking about. Had Tenten succeeded in persuading him how bad of a person I was? Were they together and dating now? Did he ever think about me anymore? Was he happy? How was he feeling right then at that very moment?

((Neiji's P.o.V.))

It had been another week since Yoruko had left and there was still nothing from Tsunade-sama. It was frustrating not knowing what was going on with her. Did she want to come home? Was Akatsuki treating her well? Did she think of me? Was she happy? What was she thinking and doing right now?

I sighed and stood up, getting ready to take a shower, and when I'd finished, I met Lee and we were on our way to the forest to train. Half way there I saw Tsunade-sama's summoning bird and my heart skipped a beat. I yelled an apology to Lee, saying that it was an emergency and I rushed to Tsunade-sama's office as fast as I could, meeting up with Toshia and Shigure on the way. We all burst through the doors of her office and Shigure immediately asked the question that we all wanted answered.

"You know where Yoru-chan is?"

"Not exactly… but we have an idea where she might be," a white haired old man said, leaning against the wall behind Tsunade-sama's desk. "However, where she is isn't important. It's what she is that's the problem…"

"What do you mean by 'what' she is?" Toshia snapped.

"Yoruko is the newest member of Akatsuki. She's sworn her loyalty to the group so if she were to even attempt to leave the organization like Orochimaru had, she would have a death warrant on her from the rest of the members," the old man explained and my hopefulness and heart sank. I could see in their expressions and deflated postures that Toshia and Shigure felt the same.

"With that being the case, unfortunately there's nothing we can do for her now. Yoruko has willingly given up her title as a Konoha shinobi and is now considered a threat. Even if you had a search and rescue mission, you'd only be putting her life in danger and it would start more problems. If you'd had any intention of bringing her home, get the thought out of your head and that's an order for her life as well as your own. Understood?" Tsunade-sama demanded.

"Understood…" we agreed begrudgingly.

As the three of us slumped out of her office I was deep in thought trying to find a loophole. Would it be against Tsunade-sama's orders to try to see Yoruko? Would it be too bold or foolish of me? I couldn't just simply forget about her. It was impossible, especially after what Tenten had said. Yoruko had left because she was protecting me and the village… because she loved me. I couldn't just let that go. I needed to be with her. I needed to tell her that I loved her, too. Was that too much to ask for?


	12. Chapter 12

_**Author's note: **__**I do not own Naruto or any of its characters. I simply borrow them to use in my own sick, twisted fantasies. ^^ –Nira**_

Chapter Twelve

((Yoruko's P.O.V.))

I couldn't take it anymore. I _needed_ to be with Neiji, no matter what it took. The physical and emotional need to be with him was so strong that I couldn't hide or ignore it anymore. I jumped up from my bed and made my way to Pein-sama's room. I knocked on his door without hesitation and when he called for me to come in I got on one knee and bowed my head to him in submission.

"Leader-sama, please allow me to go to Konoha. I have some unfinished business to take care of," I begged, trying not to sound as desperate as I felt.

"How do I know you're not going to run away and betray us?"

"My reason for going has absolutely nothing to do with Akatsuki so there's no need for me to bring it up to begin with. You can send someone with me if it would make you feel better. I don't care. Do whatever you have to to reassure yourself, but I have to get out of here and go to Konoha if I'm going to keep my sanity."

It was silent for a while as he thought about it. "I'll give you four days. Use them wisely and don't betray my trust. If you're not back by the end of the fourth day or you're followed, consider yourself a walking corpse."

"Harsh, but understandable. My loyalty to Akatsuki will not falter, I swear on my life. Thank you, Leader-sama."

Without another word to or from anyone, I packed a light back with snacks and a water bottle and left at top speed reaching Konoha a day and a half later. I stripped myself of my clouded cloak, stuffing it into my bag and snuck into the city making my way to Neiji's house through the back roads and shadows. When I got there he was leaving with a heavy pack as if he was ready to be gone on a journey for a while so I decided to race ahead of him and wait outside the city gates. It seemed to take him forever to get there but when he was in sight, I threw a kunai at him to catch his attention. He was instantly on guard and activated his Byakugan, glaring at me and ready to fight.

"Calm down, Neiji, it's just me. I'm not here to fight you. The kunai was only to catch your attention," I said, jumping down from my perch in a tree.

"Why are you here?" he asked very slightly softening his expression but still not relaxing his fighting stance.

"I got permission to leave for a few days. Are you on a mission?"

"Does it matter?"

"Well, yeah… If you are I'll have come here for nothing."

"Why are you here?" he asked again and my heart sank since he still hadn't relaxed. He didn't trust me anymore.

"I just wanted to talk to you… to ask you a few questions, really, but I can guess the majority of the answers by how cold you're being…" I frowned. "I'm sorry I bothered you… Good luck on your mission."

I turned to leave but Neiji reached out for me and called for me to wait. "What did you want to talk about and ask?"

"I just wanted to know how you're doing. I know I shouldn't ask since it's really none of my business anymore, but… are you and Tenten dating now? Is she nice to you? Are you happy?"

He was silent as he stared at me, his expression apathetic and I grinned and let out a bitter chuckle, shaking my head. "It's pathetic, really… I'm pathetic… I've woken up every morning or throughout the night, crying because I had a dream about you and couldn't get you out of my head. With everything I do, you're always there in my mind to the point where I can't even function sometimes. I don't want to eat or shower or even leave my room… I'm miserable.

"I know I told Tenten to make you hate me and to confess her love for you, but the thought of you being with someone else or hating me tears me apart… It's been so lonely without you, Neiji. Every night I cry because I just want to be in your arms with you whispering that everything's going to be okay because you're there to protect me like you used to… I can't stand to be away from you like this and I know I have no right to say any of this since I left willingly, but I miss you so much that it physically hurts me, Neiji…" I explained, slowly falling to my knees and hugging myself as if to hold myself together as my body trembled and tears ran down my face, dripping off of my chin and nose.

It was silent for a while aside from my quiet sniffling and slight sobs until I heard Neiji walk toward me and crouch down in front of me. His warm hand brushed a strand of hair behind my ear, cupping my face in his palm and his lips pressed against mine. It was soft and gentle but also passionate and fierce. My arms slowly unfolded from around me and snaked around his neck as I kissed back, tangling my fingers into his luscious silken hair. He slowly stood up, pulling me up and closer to him, his arm wrapped tightly around my waist and his other hand gently holding the back of my head.

I didn't want him to ever let me go. The tears kept coming despite my mental efforts to stop them and I didn't think they'd stop until I was able to express how deep and strong my feelings for him were in a way that words could never even come near describing well enough to get the point across. I loved him. There was no other way of describing this insatiable need to have him around. I never wanted to be parted from him again but I'd made a promise to Akatsuki and I never break a promise. Instead, our time together would have to be perfect and memorable somehow.

As if reading my mind, Neiji picked me up as if we were newlyweds walking through the threshold of our new home and carried me to the lake we'd gone to talk before, staring deep into my eyes the whole time while I caressed his cheek and occasionally pulled him into a tender kiss. When we'd gotten to the lake he laid me down in the grass and rested his head on my chest above my heart with a sigh, listening to my heart beat. He gently ran his fingertips over my thigh to my hip and up my stomach and I could feel a trail of fire where his skin had come into contact with mine, sending my heart into a fluttering frenzy and my breathing into shallow confusion. Neiji grinned and lifted his head to kiss my chest and look me in the eye.

"Neiji…" I breathed, caressing his cheek and pulling him into a sultry kiss.

His movements were slow and gentle, his eyes always asking if it was okay for his hands and lips to wander. I let go, giving myself to him completely. I was his girl in every way and I wanted him to know it. Whatever he wanted to do with me, I was more than willing to allow it and when our bodies were entangled in a slow, rhythmic dance, I was in heaven. It was like our bodies had melded together and become one and the same and our souls had drifted off to somewhere higher and better than anything we could ever encounter here in the material world. We'd consecrated our love into an unspoken vow and claimed each other for ourselves. I loved him and he loved me and nothing would ever change that.

After our love making I laid my head in the crook of his shoulder and had my hand above his heart, feeling his heart beat slow down to a normal, steady pace. His arm was wrapped around me and his other hand held mine above his heart and it wasn't long until he was snoring slightly. I wormed my way out of his protective arms so as not to wake him up, took a quick dip in the lake, got dressed and knelt beside him, watching his calm, peaceful slumbering face. I left a note in the shape of a shuriken in his hand, gently kissed his lips and left. I made clones and traps to throw off any would-be followers and ran back to Akatsuki headquarters. Almost as soon as I got back, Pein-sama walked to meet me and asked why I was back so soon and what I'd written on the note. I assumed that he'd sent someone to spy on me otherwise he wouldn't have known about the note. At the very least whoever it was had gotten a good show.

"It was only a love note and if I'd stayed any longer I would have broken my promise to Akatsuki. I never break my promises, no matter if I'd actually wanted to make the promise or not," I explained as I slumped past him toward my room where I locked myself in and fell onto my bed.

I cried myself to sleep. I was physically exhausted, but emotionally, I was distraught. I missed him already and spending even that little bit of time with him could have proved to be a worse idea than I'd originally thought.

((Neiji's P.O.V.))

I woke up a while later but I didn't feel Yoruko's warm, steady breathing on my chest or the shape of her body in my arms. There was something in my hand so when I looked at it, a lump formed in my throat. It was a note folded into a shuriken and when I opened and read Yoruko's neat handwriting, my chest felt constricted and tears stung at my eyes.

"Damn it, Yoruko…" I sniffled, setting the note down on my pile of clothes before walking to the lake to go for a quick swim.

When I'd finished and gotten dressed, I walked back home and unpacked everything that I'd brought with me to go on my trip to find her. I fell onto my bed and laid there, staring at the note. It was simple and only had two sentences scrawled on the page, "_I love you. Wait for me._"

"I'll wait for you… I'll always wait for you… I promise," I muttered.

How could I not wait for her? I loved her more than anything.

The next day I was wandering around Konoha as if nothing had happened and tried to play off that I hadn't declared to everyone that I was going on a journey, but everyone saw straight through me, especially Tenten.

"What are you doing back so soon?" Tenten asked.

"I decided not to go… she'd made it clear that she didn't want me following her so I wasn't going to follow her…" I explained with a shallow grin.

"Neiji-kun, you don't have to lie to me. What really happened?"

I paused for a moment smiling faintly as the events of the night before replayed in my head. "She came back…" I said. "… but she left again before I'd woken up, leaving a note in my hand."

"What did it say?"

I took the note out of my pocket and handed it to her. She was silent for a moment and I could see her struggling. Despite everything, Tenten still loved me, too, and I knew it was hard for her to talk with me about Yoruko. She was always the one to start the conversations, though, and she was the only one who knew everything about what was going on so she was the only one that I could talk with about her.

"Why do you look so depressed? This is a good thing, right? You should be happy," she half smiled. "She risked her life just so she could come see and check up on you."

"I don't want her to have to risk her life. I was supposed to be her protector. It's counterproductive."

"At least she thinks about you a lot and wants to see you. You should really try to think more positively, Neiji-kun. It makes things a lot easier to deal with… anyway, I have to go. I'll see you around."

She waved good-bye and ran off and I continued to wander, passing by Naruto, Kiba and Shikamaru at the park. They called my name and waved me over so I decided to join them.

"Neiji-kun, I haven't seen Yoruko around for a while. Do you know where she went?" Naruto asked.

"She's not here. She went back to Sunagakure," I lied.

"What?! Why?! I thought you guys were dating! What happened?!"

"Wait, you were dating Yoruko? Since when?!" Kiba inquired in disbelief.

"Since Naruto's party," I stated.

"So what happened? Why'd she leave?" Naruto asked.

_She left because she loves you…_

"I don't know. It was some kind of emergency or something. She didn't say… She's just been gone for a couple weeks and finally came back for a little bit yesterday."

"And she didn't say 'hi' to everyone? She must have been in a rush. How long was she here?" Naruto asked.

"Just for a few hours…"

"And she was with you the whole time? What did you do, kidnap her so she couldn't say hi to anyone else? Talk about being stingy, Neiji," Kiba chuckled.

"Is that what you call it? Stinginess?" I thought aloud with a sigh and looked up at the clouds rolling by overhead.

"Neiji, can I talk to you about something for a minute?" Shikamaru asked so I agreed and we started walking away, waving good-bye to the other two. When we'd gotten away, Shikamaru spoke up. "You've been lying since you came over. What really happened to Yoruko?"

"It's a huge secret. You can't tell anyone. Absolutely nobody else hears about this, got it?" I demanded.

"Alright, alright, nobody else will know. I promise, jeez."

"She joined Akatsuki."

"What?! Are you serious?!"

"They'd been after her for a long time and she kept finding ways to avoid them but she decided to quit running and join them. She thought that if she did it would cause fewer problems for the village so that her friends wouldn't have to risk their lives to protect her from them," I explained with a sigh.

"Well it makes sense… It was a very noble thought…" Shikamaru said lacing his fingers together behind his head. "So she really did come back and spend her time here with you yesterday?"

"Yeah…"

"I wouldn't call that stinginess… you're just in love. There's nothing wrong with that… Women are bothersome sometimes. Something always seems to remind you of them somehow, and it seems like you can never stop thinking about them… But she came back for you. That's incredible, to me… that she'd risk her life for just a few hours with the one she loves, no matter how tedious it is…"

"Yeah… She asked me to wait for her…" I half smiled.

"Are you going to?"

"I love her… of course I'm going to wait for her."

"You wouldn't happen to be talking about our little sister, now would you, Neiji-kun?" Toshia's icy cold voice asked from behind me.

"I'll see you later, Neiji. This seems like it's going to get really personal so I'll leave you to it," Shikamaru waved nervously as he started walking away.

"She came back?" Shigure asked, worried.

"Yeah… she was here for a few hours yesterday," I replied.

"And she didn't come say hi to us and you didn't tell us?" Toshia growled.

"We'd been kind of busy and she left before I even had a chance to say good-bye. How was I supposed to tell anyone when she was already probably long gone?" I blushed.

"Busy?" Toshia's glare was accusing and icy as he thought about what I could have meant and it only hardened as the realization dawned on him. I didn't reply or say anything else to get myself into any more trouble, though.

"I see… her feelings for you are stronger than I thought if she only came back to see you…" Shigure half smiled with a sigh.

"I'm surprised she's so open with you… She used to be a lot more withdrawn when she was around guys…" Toshia sighed. "Yoruko's special to me… If you break her heart, I'll kill you. She's already gone through enough shit in her life and she doesn't need any more pain, got it?" I could feel in the malicious glare that he was staring me down with that he meant it. He would kill me in a heartbeat if I ever hurt Yoruko.

"By the way you're talking about Yoruko, Toshia-san, I'd say that you're in love with her…" I glanced suspiciously at him.

"What if I said I am? What would you do about it, Neiji-kun?" he scoffed bitterly.

"Nothing. I can't stop you from having feelings for her… I just wonder how long you've hidden it from her."

"I've always loved Yoruko… It's hard not to, but I also don't let just anyone get as close to her as you are. Like I said, Yoruko's special… I'll do whatever it takes never to see her shattered and broken again…"


	13. Chapter 13

_**Author's note: **__**I do not own Naruto or any of its characters. I simply borrow them to use in my own sick, twisted fantasies. ^^ –Nira**_

**_P.S. Hey, everybody! I'm back in business! Sorry it's taken so long to update. I'm coming up on my college graduation date and an internship, and I have made some major changes in my life as of late, so it's been pretty hectic in the world of VampNira lately. Again, since it's been such a long time, I'm giving you three chapters right off the bat. I'll try to keep up to date now that I actually have Microsoft Office again, but I can't make any promises. Again, life is crazy busy, but I'll try. Thanks to everyone who's been sitting on the edge of your seat, waiting for a new update, old friends, fans, and followers, and new alike. Your support means the world to me and it always brightens my day when I receive an email notifying me of a new favorite, follow, PM, or review. :) I hope you enjoy these new chapters. The plot will finally be thickening here soon. :)_**

Chapter Thirteen

((Yoruko's P.O.V.))

I smiled, happy that I'd finally showed Neiji how much he meant to me and had him show that he felt the same. Everyone at Akatsuki HQ could see that I was happier and everyone who even remotely cared seemed to be curious as to why. The list of people who did seem to care was short with Sasori-san, Deidara, Itachi-dono, Tobi-kun, Zetsu and Kisame being the only six, but at least it meant that they were finally starting to warm up to me more. They still didn't completely trust me, though, because there was still always someone watching me to make sure I didn't run away.

"Why are you so cheery?" Sasori-san asked.

"What, did you go see that boy that you were always with in Konoha, un?" Deidara added.

"So what if I did?" I grinned.

"You didn't tell him anything, did you?" Itachi-dono glared.

"If I did, do you think I'd be here? Or that I'd be alone when I came back? Akatsuki had nothing to do with why I'd gone back so I didn't even bring it up and I left before he'd even woken up to add another layer to my diversions so nobody could follow me."

"Woken up? What did the two of you do, un?" Deidara grinned.

"Is it really any of your business?" I snapped.

"What is that boy to you?" Itachi-dono inquired.

"He's my boyfriend… why? Are you jealous, Itachi-dono?" I chuckled.

Itachi-dono was silent but White Zetsu spoke up, "You seem so full of yourself, Yoruko. Leader sees potential in you but that doesn't mean that everyone else trusts or likes you. You might not want to stir the pot so much if you don't want any trouble."

"If I didn't feel like a caged animal constantly being watched and monitored to make sure I don't run away or break my promise, I wouldn't need to stir the pot. I'm not going anywhere. I wish you would all get that through your thick heads," I growled.

"Thick heads?! Who are you calling thick headed, teme?! … un!" Deidara snarled.

"You, baka! You, most of all! You've been picking on me since I got here! You're like an annoying little child constantly begging for attention! Well, now I'm giving it to you. What the hell do you want from me?!" I snapped, pushing him.

He went silent and a slight blush rose to his cheeks as he glared at me and his silence pissed me off even more so I pushed past everyone, growling in frustration and made my way outside. I paced back and forth at the entrance, ranting internally about how much I hated it there and wanted to fight someone or destroy something. Itachi-dono had been the one to follow me out, as I'd expected someone would, but he stood at the entrance of the cave, watching me, not interfering.

Once I'd finally calmed down, I sighed and sat on the boulder with my face buried in my hands. I felt Itachi-dono stand beside me but I didn't think anything of it. It had gotten dark before I decided to call it a night and walked inside to the kitchen, Itachi-dono still following me. As I was gathering the ingredients and equipment to make onigiri, Itachi-dono stopped me by grabbing my wrists and holding them above my head as he pinned me against the wall. I blushed, confused by the sudden flourish of movement and the intensity of his expression and actions. Before I could say or do anything to ask what was going on, his lips crashed passionately into mine and my eyes widened in shock. Just as suddenly as he'd kissed me, he let me go and left the kitchen without a word as if nothing had happened. I stood there in stunned silence wondering what had just happened and why.

I shook my head, brushing it off as nothing and finished making my onigiri and tea before going to bed. I woke up the next morning, got dressed, made breakfast and spent the majority of the day in my room drawing pictures of Neiji and listening to music in a love-struck stupor. Sometime in the afternoon there was a knock at my door and I put my hair up into a sloppy bun as I walked to answer it.

"Yeah?" I asked upon seeing Itachi-dono on the other side of the door.

"Leader wants to see you," he replied.

I sighed but walked to Pein-sama's room anyway, wondering what it was that he wanted to see me for. When I got there, I bowed to him and he instantly started in.

"Yoruko, I've decided that I'm not going to assign you to a team. Instead, you will accompany whichever team has a mission so that you can aid them and make the mission run more smoothly and with less wasted time. As far as your personal journeys to Konoha, with permission from me you can go when you have down time between missions, but White Zetsu will be monitoring you from the shadows for integrity purposes.

"I'm giving you quite a long leash, Yoruko, longer than I give anyone else in the organization. I realize that your loyalty to Akatsuki only wavers when you don't feel that you have enough freedom. Like you said on your very first day, if we didn't need you, we wouldn't have put so much effort into capturing you, so I'm willing to compromise to make this a harmonious agreement. With that being said, however, don't abuse this gained freedom of yours. Remember that your first priority is always Akatsuki and everything else is secondary," Pein-sama explained staring me straight in the eye and I felt a slight blush rise to my cheeks and the matching grin grace my lips.

"I understand. Thank you, Leader-sama."

"A word of advice, Yoruko: Cut all ties you have with anything but Akatsuki. They will only become a hindrance for you. That boy, especially. He will not wait forever and you can't expect him to," Konan added and I was taken aback.

I bowed and took my leave, walking back to my room and mulling over what Konan had said. I'd just assumed that Neiji would wait for me. Had I been asking too much? Was it too cruel and selfish of me to even ask such a thing of him? If he did go and find another girlfriend, would it really be something to be upset about? Or would it have been my fault for making him wait indefinitely to begin with?

I needed to vent. I hadn't properly trained since before I'd left Konoha so I suited up all of my weapons and decided to walk outside to do some solo training to clear my mind. Along the way, I passed by Itachi-dono, Kisame, and Deidara and they watched me curiously.

"Where are you going, un?" Deidara demanded.

"Training…" I replied.

"Need an opponent?" Kisame asked as they all started following me.

"No…"

"Why not, un? Afraid you might lose? … un," Deidara smirked.

I'd ignored him and gotten outside. I centered myself, crouching into my fighting stance and made a clone that was doing the same. Almost as soon as I'd made the clone, Deidara killed her and took her place.

"You won't get better if you fight yourself. You already know what's coming, so I'll be your opponent."

"I can't," I glared.

"Of course you can. Here, I'll even make the first move!" he yelled and charged at me.

"Please stop!" I hollered, dodging and blocking each punch and kick that he threw at me.

"Why should I?! We're training, aren't we?!" he laughed hysterically, his barrage of attacks still continuing.

"Because I don't want to kill you! I'm begging you, please stop!" My voice cracked and Deidara instantly stopped, looking at me in confusion and worry as tears stung at my eyes. I was trying not to show it but he saw. Everyone saw.

"What's with you today, un? Any other day you'd have fought back, un," he asked sounding almost worried.

"I can't fight you to my full potential and right now, I don't think I could hold back. Just… leave me alone…"

I walked away, wandering off into the woods in search of a lake or some kind of body of water to relax and vent at since my training plan had fallen through. I felt the presence of someone following me, but they were farther back and obviously trying to give me my space. I found a lake about a mile away and smiled inwardly. It wasn't as pretty as the lake that I'd gone to with Neiji but it was a lake none the less. I removed my socks and shoes, rolled my pants up to my thighs and waded into the water with a sigh, letting my thoughts wash away into the cool water.

I felt eyes on me the whole time as I wandered around the shore, examining shells and rocks and occasionally skipping a stone across the surface of the water. I glanced to see who it was and when I saw Itachi-dono, I got a bit nervous remembering the sudden kiss he'd forced on me the last time we'd been alone together. I still didn't understand his reasoning for doing it, but I also wasn't going to ask because it was a strange topic and I didn't want to give him false hope. I loved Neiji.

It wasn't long before I heard and felt a disturbance in the water as Itachi-dono joined me. As I turned to acknowledge him, I was enveloped in his arms and cloak and his lips were pressed to mine just as passionately as they had been when he'd kissed me before. I'd dropped the small stone that I'd picked up in shock as my eyes widened and body tensed up. A blush rose to my cheeks but I quickly recollected myself, pushed him away, and slapped him with as much force as I could muster. My hand was wet, so I knew that it had to sting, but it was also so loud that the sound echoed through the trees and sent a few groups of birds twittering away in fear and it left a red hand print on his face.

"What the hell is your problem?!" I snapped. "I'm happily in a relationship and you know that."

"You didn't resist last time," he glared.

"Because I didn't know what the hell was going on last time! What the hell, Itachi?! It's not funny to toy with someone's emotions if this is supposed to be a joke."

"It's not a joke, Yoruko. That boy of yours isn't going to wait for you. With no way of communication or knowing when or if you'll be coming back, he's bound to give up hope and assume the worst. You'd be better off cutting all ties that you have outside of Akatsuki, starting with him."

"And you're the one to help me with that, are you?" I spat with a glare before sighing and walking back to shore to gather my socks and shoes. "It's not that easy, Itachi-dono… I love him… Just the thought that he's waiting for me and that he loves me gives me enough strength and courage to continue living… even if I can't be with him as often as I'd like to… There's still the chance that we'll be together again at some point."

I walked back to base barefooted and without Itachi-dono and when I dropped my shoes off in my room, I walked to the kitchen to make snacks before hiding away in my room for the rest of the night. I hadn't been able to vent at all, and I knew that drawing wouldn't even help this time. The seed of doubt had been planted by Konan and it was growing out of control.

Could I kill it before it got to me? If not, I was afraid of what would happen.


	14. Chapter 14

_**Author's note: **__**I do not own Naruto or any of its characters. I simply borrow them to use in my own sick, twisted fantasies. ^^ –Nira**_

Chapter Fourteen

((Neiji's P.O.V.))

I'd been thinking about what Toshia had said the other day in the park while I lazed around the house. He'd always been in love with Yoruko? Did that mean that they'd been a couple in the past? What happened between them? Had Toshia been the one that Yoruko had originally lost her innocence to? What was it about Yoruko that made Toshia and Shigure so protective and loving of her? It had been bothering me for a while so I decided to confront them about it.

Unsure of where to look for them or how to contact them, I decided to go to the café. It was Yoruko's favorite restaurant in town, so they'd be more likely to go or be there. It was at least a start. A pot of tea would help me calm down a bit, too. When I walked in and ordered my tea from the waitress, Mii, I started to make my way to the table next to the window when I saw Toshia and Shigure already occupying it. I took a deep breath and walked over to them.

"May I join you?" I inquired. "I have a few things I need to get off my chest."

Shigure gestured for me to have a seat and immediately asked me what was on my mind as I sat down.

"It's about Yoruko…"

"What about her?" Toshia glared, but I noticed both of them tense up at the mention of her name.

"What you told me the other day has been bothering me, Toshia-san. You said you've always loved her, right?"

"Yeah… what about it?"

"Were the two of you ever dating? Is that why you're so loving and protective of her? What happened?"

"Why does it matter?" he demanded.

"Something along the lines had come up in a game once and her entire demeanor changed instantly. Her entire being had seemed to darken like a storm cloud had formed around her and she quickly tried to change the subject. It seemed painful for her, so I never brought it up, but I want to know," I explained.

"No, we never dated. That would have been something, though," Toshia grinned at the thought. "Yoruko's and my relationship has been strained, to say the least. When she first came to Konoha, she was like a kid, awestruck and entertained and excited by everything. Her two cellmates Rinku and Enishi had been good friends of mine and Shigure's and as a teambuilding event of sorts, we all took her on a tour around Konoha. You know, to show her around and point out the best places to eat, where to get good weapons, stuff like that… I'd never seen anyone so happy just to be alive and enjoy the little things like that…"

As Toshia talked, his tender smile faded more and more the deeper into his thoughts and flashback he got until he trailed off all together and his expression turned more melancholy. Shigure sighed before he continued on with the story.

"Rinku and Enishi hadn't expected to get a female cellmate and weren't too keen on her being from Sunagakure, so when Tsunade-sama told them about her, they were crude and reluctant to accept her. When they finally met Yoru-chan, though, her bubbly, welcoming personality changed their minds for them.

"For the first week or so of joining their cell, all the three of them did was hang out and get to know each other and all Rinku and Enishi could talk about was how kind, beautiful, and talented Yoruko was. They were even ecstatic when she told them about her kekkei genkai, thinking it was the coolest kekkei genkai ever. Even when she was there with us, they were showering her with praise while she blushed in embarrassment. It wasn't long before we all developed a crush on her in some way. She was able to warm anyone over with just a smile and we were like putty in her hands. If she wanted anything, all she had to do was ask and any of us would have found a way to give it to her."

"For the sake of professionalism and team dynamics, though, nobody made a move on her. It was an unspoken agreement between the four of us that she was off limits because getting into a relationship could be disastrous for the strong friendships that we'd built up with each other… but they were training one day, Rinku and Enishi against Yoruko and she hadn't realized how much chakra she'd used against them." Toshia interceded, taking over again.

I could see the pain in both of their eyes and expressions. The melancholy hung in the air, thick and suffocating and it seemed to slow everything down. We were in our own little bubble of pain and misery and it didn't look like the mood would be letting up any time soon as Toshia continued, his fists clenched and jaw set.

"She came to us in a panic a week later, bawling as she explained what had happened. She said that she didn't think she'd used a lot of chakra, but a week had come and gone and they weren't waking up. Neither Shigure or I really thought anything of it, brushing it off, thinking that they'd still wake up soon. We didn't really know anything about her kekkei genkai, but we had faith that she did. When a few more days came and went and the nurse said that their conditions were slowly deteriorating, it finally hit us that they weren't going to.

"I lost my temper…I blamed Yoruko, yelling at her and calling her every one of the most hurtful names in my vocabulary and saying the meanest things… I said things that should never be said to another human being, no matter the situation… I knew it wasn't her fault. She was still young and nobody really knew anything about her kekkei genkai, not even her own clan. How was she supposed to know how much was too much? I knew it wasn't her fault, but I was devastated… they were two of my best friends… And Shigure was in such a shock that he couldn't even look at her…

"Seeing her face, I instantly regretted saying it and wanted to take it all back but the damage was already done. She ran out of the hospital and disappeared for about a month. After what I'd said, I couldn't even bring myself to look for her. What would I say if I found her? Would she still look as broken and wounded as she did that moment I regained my senses enough to see how badly my words had damaged her? Could I handle seeing her like that again? What if she hated me and never wanted to see me again?"

Toshia trailed off again and my heart was aching. I never would have guessed that Yoruko's past had been so dark, or even that it had all happened within the past three years. She was always smiling and seemed so happy. How was she able to smile so much and laugh so fully?

"When we finally found her again, she wasn't the same at all," Shigure cut in again. "She didn't smile like she used to. It was always labored and not genuine. Her gaze was always far off and her expression was always pained. She was like a zombie, just a shell of the Yoruko she used to be. We exchanged apologies and asked each other for forgiveness and we all put in a huge effort to make things work and not let resentment ruin us. It was extremely difficult sometimes, but we pushed through it and things were getting better for all of us. She would smile more, each smile getting more and more genuine…

"We were supposed to meet one day to train about a year or so later, but when it came time to meet, Yoruko wasn't there. It was unusual for her to miss training and even more unusual for her not to let us know if she was going to miss, so we got worried and went to find her. The first place we looked was her apartment, and peeking through her window, we saw that it was in shambles, another strange occurrence, so we started to panic. When we knocked, there was no reply so we broke in."

"I heard water running in her bathroom and made my way around all the trash and furniture to the door, calling for her and knocking. That's when I heard her crying and barged in. She was sitting in the shower with the water on, scorching hot and her legs drawn up toward her chest. She was sobbing and pulling her hair with her head down. I turned the water off, calling to Shigure to grab some towels but when I tried to help her out of the tub, she screamed at the top of her lungs for me not to touch her. Her eyes… she looked like a wild injured animal, lashing out at any- and everything… For the first time in all the time that I'd known Yoruko, I was afraid of her.

"Tsunade-sama had to come in to take care of her, she was so out of it. She'd been severely depressed because of what had happened with Enishi and Rinku, but she'd been tipped past the edge of sanity the night before and became suicidal. Apparently she'd been taken off guard by a group of drunken bastards visiting from another town on her way home and they took advantage of her." Toshia snarled, clenching his fists tighter until his knuckles were white.

"Tsunade-sama had gotten Yamanaka Inoichi-san involved, too, to alter Yoruko's memories and make them vaguer. She still doesn't know exactly what happened that night, but it's blurred enough that she can manage. As far as the Rinku, Enishi incident, she's plagued with nightmares and flashbacks every now and then. She really has gotten much better over the years, but she's still not quite the same…" Shigure finished with a sigh, staring into his cup of tea, probably cold by then.

"I've been trying to atone for the damage that I caused ever since we'd made up and I think it's worked or gotten through to her to some degree, but there's still a really big barrier between us… I don't think I'll ever stop apologizing to her or that we'll ever be as close as we used to be…"

It all made perfect sense. It was obvious that they both loved Yoruko in some form or other, but what was even more obvious to me was the strain between all of them. There would always be conflicting emotions between the three of them. They'd all scarred each other so badly that it would be a miracle if they could ever be healed or fixed. All that they could do was try to atone, just as Toshia had said, and to atone, they would play whatever role for each other than needed to be filled with the only conditions being how the relationship would affect each of the other two, and whether or not the wounds that had been given and received betwixt them so carelessly could be forgiven.

If Yoruko needed protectors or brothers, Toshia and Shigure would mold themselves into those roles. If Toshia or Shigure needed a beacon of light or forgiveness, Yoruko would mold herself to fit it. Their loyalty to each other and their friendships was so strong that they felt obligated and indebted to each other to the point that they all had a place in their relationships and not a single one of them dare step out of it. To me, it was a never ending cycle of courtesy and self-hatred that fueled their relationship. It was both a debilitating hindrance and a source of strength to persevere, but it was what worked for them.

"Thank you," I breathed. The air was still thick with misery but it wasn't as thick as it had been throughout the story and all of us could breathe just a little bit easier now that the heaviness of the story was lifted. "I can't empathize with what you all are going through, and I'm sure I will never fully understand your relationships with Yoruko, but it does give me an insight into it. I can understand a little bit more about all of you now, and I thank you for that from the bottom of my heart."

"Hey… Once Yoruko starts something, she sticks with it until the end. Don't give up on her. She's well worth the wait…" Toshia croaked, attempting a grin, but it looked pained.

His eyes were shadowed by his bangs but I could see a tear roll down his face and he quickly excused himself, leaving the café all together. Shigure sighed as he stood up, leaving the money for his and Toshia's meal on the table before he examined me for a moment with tender, pleading eyes and left as well. I sat there for a while, thinking and soaking up everything that had just been discussed before I paid for my tea and left, as well with new confidence.

_I will always wait for you, Yoruko… even if I'm left waiting forever…_


	15. Chapter 15

_**Author's note: **__**I do not own Naruto or any of its characters. I simply borrow them to use in my own sick, twisted fantasies. ^^ –Nira**_

Chapter Fifteen

((Yoruko's P.O.V.))

Pein-sama had summoned Itachi-dono, Kisame and me to his room and when we got there, he assigned us to our first mission together to go to Sunagakure and take the tailed beast, Shukaku. I zoned out the rest of the information, not paying attention because I'd started reminiscing about the horrible years that I'd spent in Suna. I wondered if anyone was still alive in my clan or if any of them would remember me. Pein-sama ordered us to leave immediately and then dismissed us and as we were walking out, Kisame asked me if I'd even heard the mission brief.

"Part of it," I admitted. "Go in, take the beast, get out, right?"

"Something like that…" Itachi-dono stated.

The journey to Suna seemed to last forever and a day but when we finally made it to the city's gates, I stripped off my cloak and stuffed it into the bag that I'd brought with me that had had food in it at one point or other along the way to Suna but was empty at the time.

"What are you doing?" Kisame inquired, confused.

"Drawing attention away from myself. I used to live here but I left about five years ago so it's highly unlikely that anyone will recognize me or believe that it's me. I have a lot more freedom than either of you will while we're here and I can use it to our advantage," I explained. "Before I wander off to wreak havoc, what am I looking for?"

Itachi-dono produced a picture from inside his cloak and handed it to me. It was of a boy with teal eyes heavily outlined in black, "Ai" tattooed on his forehead above his left eye, and deep red hair. I instantly recognized him and sighed as I folded the picture up and tucked it into my pocket.

"He's the son of the former Kazekage so I'm sure I'll know where to find him. The question is, what do I do when I do find him? He won't come easily and he probably won't be alone at any point, either. There's bound to be conflict and I know that there's no way I could take him out on my own, kekkei genkai or not."

"Don't engage him, just do reconnaissance. Take note of what he does, where he goes, who's with him and report back to us. We'll do the same if either of us comes across him, as well. We'll meet and reconvene here by midnight."

"Got it. Catch ya later," I waved, walking off toward my clan's tiny corner of the village.

I reached a walled in area with an archway that read "Koishikawa Clan" and without hesitation, I stepped past it with an indifferent expression. I made my way past houses that had once been well kept but were now empty, in shambles and boarded up, probably because their owners had died. I passed by a house that was in relatively good shape, but there was a small crew leaving the residence with a covered body on a stretcher while a woman and child stood watching from the window with tired expressions. They looked like corpses, themselves, and as I paused to watch the morbid scene, the little girl looked at me and our eyes met. There was no sadness or emotion in her expression but she turned away and walked back out of sight while I carried on.

The clan had always been like that. Everybody knew when someone had passed away, and yet nobody showed any emotion or seemed to care. It was just another death another day. It didn't matter who it was or how close they'd been with the deceased while they were still living. With our kekkei genkai, it was an inevitability that people would die, and that they'd die often. There were no funerals held, no wakes, no periods of grief. Everyone in the clan was labeled as the walking dead by outsiders. Most clan outsiders were so afraid of people in our clan that there were rumors that if anyone associated with a Koishikawa clan member, they were touched by the same curse of death that was thought to consume our clan. When I reached the house that I'd been raised in, I stood outside, just looking at it. It was just as rundown and dilapidated as the many other unoccupied houses that I'd passed on my way there.

"_So the old man and woman finally died… I bet there wasn't anything left for me in their wills…"_ I thought, pushing aside the broken sliding door and into the dusty entryway.

There was a chill throughout the room and it smelled like death, urine, and stale air. I didn't bother taking my shoes off and slowly meandered across the room toward the kitchen and stood in the doorway. An image of my mother wearing a bright red kimono as she stood at the stove cooking dinner for when my father came home flashed through my head and I scoffed before walking down the hall to my parents' room. The door was open and the bed was still perfectly made like it always was. The room was still plain and without any decorations. The only thing that was different was that the family picture that had occupied the frame on my mother's side of the bed had been replaced with one of just my parents.

I picked the frame up and examined the image. They looked dead, just like everyone else in the clan, but there was still more life in their eyes than I'd ever seen while I was living there. It was as if they were happier without me in their lives and it pissed me off, but I held onto it as I walked to what used to be my room. The door was closed and there were boards nailed to the frame making it impossible for anyone to get into it without forcing their way in. I kicked the boards in and then broke the frame as I forced myself in, kicking up a cloud of dust and causing a commotion in the process. When I was finally in, I stopped dead in my tracks and my eyes narrowed into a glare. It was empty. They'd erased my existence from their lives completely. To them, I had never existed.

"Who are you and what are you doing here?" I heard a girl demand from behind me, so I spun around to face her. It was the girl from the window earlier and she didn't look like she could be any older than maybe ten or eleven.

"When did the owners of this house die?" I inquired in turn.

"The woman died about five years ago, but the man died last year. The poison had gotten to him."

"Like it does for everyone… How big is the clan now? How many people are left?"

"Including me, only about twenty others. Most of them are grown-ups and boys. Who are you? How do you know so much about the Koishikawa clan?"

"Did you know that the people who lived here had a daughter?" I grinned, looking at the picture in the frame again.

"They never said anything about having a daughter. It was just the two of them living here. Did she die because of the poison, too?" the girl asked.

"No, she didn't die… She was immune to the poison. It didn't hurt her and everyone else in the clan hated her for it. Nobody knew why it didn't affect her and nobody had the time to figure it out, either. Because she wasn't cursed like the rest of them, they shunned her. She was exiled when she was only twelve years old and had to fend for herself out in the real world. Even her own parents erased her existence from their lives," I explained, taking the picture out of the frame and intentionally dropping the frame so it would shatter.

I walked past the little girl to the kitchen while she followed, engrossed in the story. I turned the gas burner on the stove on and started the picture on fire from the bottom corner. I turned the picture, watching the flames lick higher and higher, engulfing the images of my parents in black smoke and red hot heat.

"So, years went by and the girl decided to come back to see what had become of the horrible people who had kicked her out when she was still just a little girl. Like her parents had done to her, she wanted to erase every shred of proof that her parents or their house had ever existed. She had never had a past in Sunagakure. How could she? She'd never existed…"

I dropped the flaming picture onto one of the cushions situated around the dining table and glanced at the girl. Her eyes had widened and she was staring as the flame slowly spread to consume the cushion, the tatami beneath it, and the cushions around it. Soon the entire floor in the dining room was on fire and spreading.

"I'd go home if I were you, little one. Your mother has already lost one person in her family today. Let's not make it two," I stated, walking past her and out the front door.

I hid behind the house while she ran out and toward her own house, screaming that there was a fire. I transformed into a stray dog and wandered through the alleyways toward the clan's gate and out into the greater city. As I was wandering around again, I saw the boy from the picture dressed in the Kazekage's cloak walking in the direction that I just came from. I sat and watched him go by and as he passed, he looked down at me, making eye contact. He hesitated in his step a moment and his eyes widened slightly, but he was goaded on by his older sister. When he was out of sight, I made a clone to follow him and transformed back, still staring in the direction he'd gone, but I turned to find a restaurant to eat at instead. When I'd finished my meal, I made my way to the Kazekage's residence and left a note for the Kazekage in the shape of a shuriken tucked under his door and met up with Itachi-dono and Kisame.

"Yoruko, report," Itachi-dono commanded.

"There was a fire and the Kazekage was called to investigate. Turns out that the Kazekage is who we're after, making it that much harder to take him. I left him a note, though, with a proposition that he can't ignore. If I were you, I wouldn't be surprised if he showed up here some time before the sun rises."

"So you know about the fire, too? It caused quite a commotion, ne?" Kisame grinned with a chuckle.

"Of course I know about it. I'm the one who started it. I told you I was going to wreak havoc."

"That, you did," he laughed.

"The proposition that you left… what was it?"

"If he valued the village and the lives of those in it, he would meet us here, alone and without saying anything to anyone else. He knows that I wrote the note and he knows that I am capable of following through with my threats. I doubt he knows about you being here, too, Itachi-dono, but your genjutsu and fire style would be a fantastic catalyst for my wind style Greenhouse Effect jutsu. It would turn the whole city into an inescapable gas chamber. They wouldn't feel the difference, but my chakra would not only be poisoning their breathing air, but soaking in through their pores, as well. They'd all die slowly, but it would be inevitable."

"Seems like you don't even need me, then, ne?" Kisame sighed. "That's hardly fun at all."

"I could use the same jutsu with your element, Kisame, but it would be obvious that something was wrong to everyone because they'd be drowning and they'd plan a counter attack or plan of escape. The entire situation would go south a lot faster. However, if a battle does break out with our target and him alone, you can distract him while we still follow through with the Greenhouse Effect. He can't fight all three of us at the same time and if he manages to get through you, it will be pointless to continue fighting. Everyone in the village would be on their death beds and he'd be Kazekage of a dying nation."

"Our mission is to capture the target. Everything else is superfluous." Itachi-dono defined.

It wasn't long before I saw two figures walking toward us and recognized one as my clone and the other as our target.

"Long time no see, Gaara-kun," I halfheartedly grinned when they'd gotten close enough, a sadness coming over me. "I wish our reunion didn't have to be on such bad terms. Please forgive me."


	16. Chapter 16

_**Author's note: **__**I do not own Naruto or any of its characters. I simply borrow them to use in my own sick, twisted fantasies. ^^ –Nira**_

Chapter Sixteen

((Yoruko's P.O.V.))

"What do you want from me, Yoruko?" Gaara-kun insisted.

"I'm glad you remember me. It actually makes me really happy. It's been so long that I would have sworn that you'd forget," I smiled.

"Of course I remember… You left, Yoruko…" he stated, tugging at my heartstrings, and I instantly deflated. I hadn't even said good-bye to him when I left… We'd been so close, and yet… "You're the one who started the house in the Koishikawa Clan residence on fire, aren't you?"

"Who else would it have been? You know as much as I do how much I hated that place. I would have done it either way, parents there or not. My only regret is that I wasn't there to spit on them at their funerals."

"Well, well. It seems the two of you have quite a history together, ne? I hate to break up this reunion, but let's get to the point, shall we?" Kisame grinned, putting his hand on the hilt of Samehada.

"Hold your seahorses, fish breath. Let's not do anything unnecessarily. Gaara-kun, you asked what we want from you, right?" I inquired interlocking my fingers and holding them against the back of my head. He nodded. "Well, all we want is Shukaku. It'll be easy peasy. All we have to do is break the seal, take the demon, and you'll be on your way like nothing happened, yeah? No more fear of sleep, no more monster looming over you ready to take over at any moment, no more glaring eyes of disapproval… What do you say, Gaara-kun? Let's not make this any harder than it has to be or cause a scene, yeah?" I pleaded.

"You're an enemy now, you know that. How do I know I can trust you? And as the Kazekage, I have a duty that I must serve to my people. They look up to and need me now. I can't give up that easily. If you want Shukaku, you'll have to take him by force."

Gaara-kun crouched lower and I sighed.

"I'm proud of you, Gaara-kun… I was just afraid that you'd say that… Please forgive me," I frowned while Kisame, Itachi-dono and I prepared for battle.

Itachi-dono activated his Mangekyou Sharingan and Kisame wielded the chakra consuming shredding blade, Samehada while I prepared myself to dodge, block, or counter anything that Gaara-kun could throw at me. Without even a shred of hesitation, Gaara-kun attacked with a wall of sand. Itachi-dono countered with his Fireball Jutsu that I amplified with a wind attack turning the sand into glass.

"Kisame," Itachi-dono stated.

"Got it," Kisame grinned and chuckled maliciously before shattering the glass and releasing a giant water dome technique, encapsulating all of us in water.

I understood what the plan was almost as soon as Kisame had completed the water dome. Gaara-kun's sand would be useless if it was wet and heavy and Kisame made clones that used their aquatic advantage to pulverize Gaara-kun with quick attacks from every direction. When Gaara-kun was within an inch of consciousness, I yelled for Kisame to release the jutsu and as Gaara-kun was falling, I leaked my chakra and caught him so that instantly upon contact with him, I was force feeding my chakra into him to push him that last little bit into unconsciousness.

As he was slowly going under, he was staring me straight in the eye with a mixture of emotions—sadness, confusion, anger, loneliness. It reminded me of when we were younger—the sad troubled and loathed Gaara-kun who would sneak out of his house every night to sit at the park on the swing set and secretly befriended an equally sad, lonely troubled little girl loathed by her own clan who would also sneak out to sit on the swing set at the park every night. Tears stung at my eyes as I stopped my chakra force-feeding and hugged him.

"I'm sorry, Gaara-kun. I never wanted our reunion to be like this… I never wanted to hurt you. Please forgive me… I'm so sorry…" I sniffled.

I felt his feeble attempt to grab ahold of my shirt, but when his whole body became heavy like a dead weight, I knew the poison had taken affect and that he was going to be out for the week. Itachi-dono and Kisame walked over and I looked up at them with indifference.

"Let's get him back to HQ so we can extract the demon and be done…" I stated, standing up. "I don't like this…"

"You knew each other well?" Kisame inquired as he picked Gaara-kun up and threw him over his shoulder.

"We were both broken souls, hated and wished dead by people who were supposed to love us… We found solace in each other and became best friends… We were each other's only friend, but when I was exiled from my clan, I broke his heart. I left without even saying good-bye and vowed not to come back unless it was to burn down the house that I was raised in and my parents with it, or even the whole clan if I could. This was the first time we'd seen each other again in five years."

The rest of the walk back to HQ was quiet and when we got back, we brought Gaara-kun to a cavernous room with a giant ten-eyed statue with three eyes open against the far wall. Everyone else in the organization stood around the room with Pein-sama standing on the statue's head and I flinched when Kisame dropped Gaara-kun in the center of the room. Not knowing what to do or how to help extract the demon, I stood back and watched.

Gaara-kun's limp body and face contorted in agony and I instantly realized that I had been left in the dark about the whole day long demon extraction process. I silently cried the whole time as I watched my best friend twist and turn in anguish, unable to do anything about it. When the demon was extracted, a fourth eye on the statue opened and Gaara-kun's body lay on the ground and everyone else let out a sigh of relief that it was finally over.

I tentatively walked forward and knelt beside him. His eyes were wide open and rolled to the back of his head and his mouth was agape, but his chest was motionless and I didn't feel any breath coming from him. There was something major about the process that I hadn't known until I rested his head in my lap and brushed the hair from his sweaty forehead.

"H-He's not going to wake up again… is he?" I croaked.

Hidan, Kakuzu, Kisame, and Black Zetsu laughed and my fist clenched onto Gaara-kun's shirt as my temper flared up. I'd been deceived. I couldn't have denied the mission order, but I could have at least steeled myself not to show any emotion when it actually happened until I'd concealed myself in my room. I didn't have any kind of forewarning or way of coping and my emotions were slowly getting the better of me. I closed Gaara-kun's eyes and hugged him close, holding him until I'd calmed myself down before I stood up and made a clone to help me carry him.

"We're done with him, right?" I demanded.

"Yes," Pein-sama stated.

"I'm taking him back…"

"Why?"

"We don't need him anymore. You just said so, yourself, Pein-sama."

"Why take him back, though, un? What are they going to do with him? We could just dump the body somewhere like we did with the others… un," Deidara said and I shot him a glare that would have slaughtered him if looks could kill.

"Leader-sama, I'm taking him back whether or not you give me permission," I stated and he, Deidara, Itachi-dono, and Kisame sighed.

"Women are so sentimental, ne?" Kisame grumbled as he and Itachi-dono followed me.

When we'd gotten back to Sunagakure, I gingerly set Gaara-kun down and removed my cloak. I know that it would be extremely difficult to get into the city because their security would be at an all-time high with their Kazekage missing, but walking around with an Akatsuki cloak on and carrying said missing Kazekage's lifeless body wouldn't go over well. It was early in the morning and most of the citizens were still asleep so my chances of getting in and out without getting caught were slightly increased.

I told Itachi-dono and Kisame to wait for me outside the city's gates and took off into the city with Gaara-kun on my back, avoiding anyone's eyes. I reached his sister, Temari-san's house and pounded on her door, keeping a watchful eye out for anyone who might suspect or attack me. When she finally answered and recognized me, she swung the door open with her fan drawn and ready for an attack. She stopped upon seeing Gaara-kun and a collage of expressions raced across her face.

"Please give me a chance to explain!" I pleaded before she hollered for any shinobi who may have been nearby. "May I please come in? I swear my intentions are good, regardless of my affiliation now."

"Why should I trust you?" she spat.

"I was forced to join Akatsuki and Gaara-kun was once a really good friend of mine. If I could go back and do it all over again, I would have changed everything. Please," I begged, tears streaming down my face.

She paused and looked me over for a moment before pulling me inside. I laid Gaara-kun gently on the futon and Temari-san demanded to know what had happened.

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I didn't know this would happen. I didn't know that if we took Shukaku he'd—… They were going to dump him somewhere. He deserves better than that, so I brought him back. Temari-san, if I could trade places with him, I would in a heartbeat without hesitation… I'm so sorry… Please forgive me," I cried before I took off before she could respond.

I couldn't bear to see her expression. She was furious and heartbroken and amazed all at once as it dawned on her what I was saying. People in the village were starting to wake up and I knew that the danger of my presence was increasing with each passing second. I ran as fast as I could and when I'd reached Itachi-dono and Kisame, I didn't stop.

"Run if you plan on making it back to headquarters without followers!" I yelled back to them while they followed, keeping pace with me.

We all made clones that ran in various directions to confuse and confront any would-be followers. We didn't stop to rest and made it back to base in half the time it took us to get there. We went straight to Pein-sama's room to make a report as soon as we'd gotten back.

"Yoruko, explain yourself," Pein-sama demanded, glaring at me.

"DO you want the truth or an alternate, strategically viable reason?" I inquired in a straight, flat tone.

"Strategically viable?"

"There's no better way to terrify a nation and make them fall apart than to present to them the dead body of their most powerful shinobi, their kage, especially if someone they know to be an Akatsuki member delivers said body. The realization that their kage is dead strikes fear into the nation and throws them into chaos as they scramble to find and decide upon the next kage. It also makes them question,_ 'if Akatsuki can defeat a jinchuuriki, what else could they be capable of?'_ It weakens their morale and gets Akatsuki's name out as a force more powerful than a jinchuuriki kage."

"That wasn't your intention, though… was it?" Konan questioned suspiciously.

"I'm a woman. I have a heart and emotions that I can't just turn off. There have only been two people in my life who have meant much to me or that I cared much about. Gaara-kun was one of them. We'd been best friends before I was exiled from my clan and I'd grown to love him in a way. I didn't know that he'd… he'd _die_… if we took Shukaku. My conscience wouldn't let me allow anyone to just dump him somewhere. We didn't need his body for anything anymore, so it belonged with his people so he could have a proper burial."

"You sure are rash and reckless, ne, Yoruko?" Kisame questioned. "Are your womanly ways going to be a hindrance to you and danger to your teammates in every mission you're assigned?"

"Shut your face, fish breath. Don't be fool enough to underestimate me, you lame excuse of a legend," I snapped. "The original mission was completed without a hitch or causing a huge scene that would alert the rest of the village because I was able to lure him out of the protection of the village and straight to us. It was my kekkei genkai that knocked him out and made his transport here and the whole extraction process run smoothly. I'm human; I have emotions. So what? Is it wrong for me to feel shame in betraying and killing my best friend for no reason but being told to?

"What purpose are you serving or point are you proving in bitching about a successful mission or having a woman for a partner, anyway? Does it make you feel more masculine or necessary since you know that this mission could have gone just as well without you? You're not dead, are you? We didn't have any followers, did we? Our cover was never blown, was it? None of us were ever in any real danger, were we? No, so shut the hell up, be a fucking man, and quit complaining about irrelevancies."

My glare was murderous and if he'd said one more word, I'm sure he knew that I would skin him alive and turn him into a shark fin soup. He'd tried to hide it, but the icy tone of my voice had sent a chill down his spine and he backed down. I'd seen a smirk flash across Pein-sama's and Itachi-dono's faces before Pein-sama continued.

"Yoruko, because the mission was a success and despite your intentions, you have sent a powerful message to Sunagakure and thrown them into chaos, I'm letting this little slip up of yours go. Do not disappoint me or make a habit of doing things on your own."

"Yes, Leader-sama," I bowed. "Thank you."

He nodded, dismissing us and we all bowed before we left. When I got to my room, I changed into my bathing suit and left again to go to the lake. I waded in up to my waist and dove in and when I resurfaced for air, I floated on my back and stared up into the sky.

"Neiji, I don't know how much longer I can keep living like this… I want to come home…"


	17. Chapter 17

_**Author's note: **__**I do not own Naruto or any of its characters. I simply borrow them to use in my own sick, twisted fantasies. ^^ –Nira**_

_**P. , I know none of this is what really happened in the show. Remember, I wrote this when I still hadn't seen it yet and now I'm going back and changing it a bit so it at least makes a tiny bit more sense with what actually happens in the anime. I have no idea how to fix this glaring mistake of Gaara's return, however, so please bear with me and don't go crazy otaku on me. Let's just pretend that Tsunade-sama has the ability to bring him back and if you can accept that, then everything else will be easier to swallow. Thanks for your understanding, cooperation, and non-flame reviews. XD**_

Chapter Seventeen

((Neiji's P.O.V.))

Tsunade-sama had called Lee, Naruto, and me to her office for an afternoon mission, so we were all walking together. Just as we'd reached her door, Temari and Kankuro who was holding what appeared to be a sleeping Gaara pushed past us and barged into her office.

"Hokage-sama! We didn't know who else to go to! Please help him!" Temari yelled. "They took the demon from him!"

Tsunade-sama jumped up and ran toward the hospital, yelling for them to follow her and for everyone else to get out of the way. The three of us followed them, hoping that there was something we could do to help. Tsunade-sama took Gaara into the intensive care unit while the rest of us waited outside. Temari sat with her head cradled in her hands and the room was dead silent as everyone wondered what had happened and what was going on but was too afraid to ask. All of a sudden, Naruto ran off and about fifteen minutes later, he came back with Shikamaru.

"Naruto, what's so impor—?" Shikamaru started but stopped upon seeing Temari with her head bent, shadowing her face and tears dripping from her nose and chin and onto her shirt. "Hey, what's going on?"

"We don't know… but she does," Naruto whispered.

Shikamaru walked and sat beside Temari, wrapping his arm around her shoulders and pulling her toward him. She buried her face into his chest, clutching his shirt and crying silently into him, forcing herself not to sob but shaking with the effort and strain of holding it in. The tension in the air hung around for hours and with each passing moment, a sinking feeling in my stomach got heavier and heavier. Temari had said that "they" had taken the demon from Gaara. Only Akatsuki was strong enough to do something like that, and it terrified me that Yoruko may have been involved. How would she be handling it if she had? And if she was involved, Toshia and Shigure had the right to know what was going on, so I stood up and ran to go find them just like Naruto had to find Shikamaru. It took me forever since I didn't know where they usually trained or hung out, but when I did find them, I convinced them to come with me to the hospital. When we got back, Tsunade-sama was walking out of the operating room and sighed, so everyone looked up at her for the news.

"He'll be fine," she stated looking and sounding aged and tired, and with that simple sentence, the tension in the air lifted. "What exactly happened?"

"I don't know the details, exactly. It was kind of a weird week. There'd been a case of arson at the Koishikawa clan residence that Gaara-kun and I had gone to investigate, and on the way, he'd hesitated when he'd seen a stray dog. I didn't think anything of it at the time because it didn't seem important and he'd seemed to brush it off, too. When we got to the sight of the crime, Gaara-kun seemed troubled like he knew the house or something.

"There was a little girl who was a witness to the whole thing. She'd said that there was a girl who told a story about the late owners of the house having a daughter who was banished from the clan when she was little and that the strange girl had started the house on fire. The child had never gotten the girl's name but she said that the girl had passed by her house earlier the same day and watched a mortuary service take her father away and then disappeared after she started the house on fire. After hearing the child's testimony, Gaara-kun seemed even more preoccupied, but when I asked about it, he said that it was nothing. I left it alone, not wanting to bother him and then we'd separated for a while and he just disappeared. Nobody knew where he'd gone, when, or why," Temari explained.

"Isn't Koishikawa Yoruko's clan name?" Naruto asked.

"Nobody outside of the clan really knows much about it. They're labeled as 'the walking dead' or cursed by the rest of the village because none of them live for very long because of their bloodline trait being a deadly and incurable poison. There was a whisper of a rumor that someone from the clan was immune to the poison and that they'd been envied and banished because of it, but there was never any proof or way of figuring out if it was true or not," Kankuro added. "It must have been true, though, if the little girl was talking about it. The Koishikawa clan is really secretive and when there's anything that they don't like or agree with, they get rid of it like it never existed, and that includes stories and histories. The girl who started the house on fire must have been the banished and forgotten child that their history had tried to wipe out, so she was returning the favor."

"There was only one person who could possibly fit the description, and it was Yoruko, but there was no proof that it had been her or that she'd even been there. Nobody had seen or heard anything about her being there, and if she was there, she'd slipped in under the radar somehow."

"Wait, didn't Yoruko go back to Sunagakure because her clan needed her for something, Neiji?" Naruto asked.

"There is no record of Yoruko ever returning to Suna for any reason and if the rumors are true, Yoruko must be the banished child. Her clan would have hated her since she was a child because of her immunity to their bloodline trait," Kankuro stated.

"If that's true, what really happened to her?" Lee asked.

"Yoruko is no longer one of Konoha's top jounin. She's a threat," Tsunade-sama stated, glaring at the floor.

"Yoruko, a threat? No way! She was one of the nicest people in the village! How could she be a threat?! It just doesn't make any sense!" Naruto hollered.

"She was hunted by a powerful organization called Akatsuki. Naruto, you've encountered three people who are or were associated with Akatsuki: Orochimaru, Kisame Hoshigaki of Mizugakure, and our own Itachi Uchiha. Knowing what you do about each of them and their abilities, and knowing Yoruko's bloodline trait, you should be able to deduct how much more of a threat they'd be if Yoruko were to join them," Tsunade-sama explained.

"No way," Lee and Naruto breathed, horror stricken and shocked.

"It's not like she wanted to join them. When they caught her she had no choice but to join them to protect Konoha and everyone who calls it their home… If she didn't join them, they'd kill her," I huffed, pissed off at Tsunade-sama for making it seem like Yoruko was a traitor by choice.

"Yoruko showed up at my door early yesterday morning just as the sun was beginning to rise, holding Gaara-kun's body… She begged me to let her explain what had happened before I killed her on the spot. She'd had tears in her eyes and she looked like a piece of her world had shattered, so I let her in. She begged and pleaded for me to forgive her saying that she hadn't known what would happen if they took Shukaku from him and that she couldn't just let them dump his body somewhere. She cried, saying that she and Gaara-kun had been good friends as children and that if she could trade places with him, she'd do it in a heartbeat, and then she ran as the realization of what she was talking about hit me…" Temari stated, a cross between absolute loathing and pity playing across her face.

"Damn it!" Toshia yelled, punching the wall and Shigure sighed and flopped down onto a bench.

"She'd said something about a boy from Sunagakure once or twice in passing… She'd met him at a playground one night when she'd snuck out of the clan's gates," Shigure said. "She said, 'There was a lonely sadness in his eyes that drew me to him because I had the same eyes. We were both outcasts… we were the same and just knowing that made it a little less lonely.' After that first meeting, they snuck out to meet every night until she was exiled from her clan and left Suna. She didn't even say good-bye, she just left because she couldn't stand to be anywhere where people would be able to recognize or remember her and look down on her because of it."

"If they really had been good friends, can you imagine how much it must have broken her heart to have their reunion be on such bad terms and then be the cause of his death on top of it?" Toshia croaked, shadowing his face so no one would see him crying. "Yoruko… I'm so sorry, Yoruko…"

It was happening again… Yoruko was suffering on her own and there was nothing I could do to help her. I hated that feeling—the feeling of being helpless. I really was the worst protector in the world. I couldn't even keep one promise to her. I'd failed her so many times. Did I even deserve the title of being her protector? Her boyfriend? I couldn't be there for her when she needed me most and it tore me apart. I balled my hands into fists and started to walk away, not wanting to be in that stuffy waiting room anymore.

"If it was so easy for her to sneak into Suna without detection, she's bound to come back here, too…" Tsunade-sama stated, sounding sympathetic. "Just when she thinks she's about to fall apart, she'll come back…"

It sounded to me like she was trying to comfort me. She didn't sound angry or tactical, thinking of a battle plan to keep her out. She was just telling me what was probably going to happen in a laid back way as if to say, "It'll happen if it's supposed to happen, and knowing Yoruko, she'll be back." I half grinned and kept walking, grateful to Tsunade-sama for being so understanding. I'd already known that Yoruko would come back when she was on the verge of insanity. I was just anxiously awaiting her arrival.


	18. Chapter 18

_**Author's note: **__**I do not own Naruto or any of its characters. I simply borrow them to use in my own sick, twisted fantasies. ^^ –Nira**_

Chapter Eighteen

((Yoruko's P.O.V.))

I'd gotten back to base and decided to make myself a snack. Deidara happened to be in the kitchen and was the first one to see me. He smirked, realizing that my hair was wet and threw an apple at me so I caught it and looked at him in curiosity.

"I heard you put Kisame in his place earlier when I was walking by Pein-sama's room, un. Nice going. He deserved it, un," he chuckled, leaning against the counter.

"Thanks…"

"Why are you all wet, un? Did you go skinny dipping without me? … un."

"In your dreams," I rolled my eyes, washing the apple and sighed, leaning against the counter next to him, staring through the apple. "I had to get away for a bit… I'm here by force. Even though I pledged my loyalty, it was because of the situation I was placed in. I didn't feel like I had any other choice but to join Akatsuki, just like I didn't have any choice in whether or not I went on that mission to Sunagakure.

"I didn't know that if you take a demon from a jinchuuriki, they die. I didn't even know that the boy we were after was a jinchuuriki despite him being my best friend as a child… It makes me wonder what else is being hidden from me and what else I'm going to be forced to do or partake in because of this place… I feel more like a slave for Akatsuki than a member…"

"It's because you haven't let go of everything else, un. You still have ties to people and places outside of Akatsuki that are holding you back. If you learn to make Akatsuki your everything, then you have nothing else to live and die for… un. That boy of yours is your biggest hindrance. If you can, find someone in Akatsuki who can give you everything that boy of yours can and then some, un. You're only making it harder on yourself by trying to keep those outside ties… un."

"Someone… in Akatsuki?" I repeated, remembering Itachi-dono's advances, and a slight blush rose to my cheeks.

"It seems to me like you and Itachi have been spending a lot of time together, un. Could there be something between the two of you that you're keeping hidden from everyone else, un? Are you cheating on your boy, Yoruko, despite your vows of how much you love him?" Deidara grinned mischievously.

"Don't be ridiculous, Deidara. I'm not that kind of girl. I do love Neiji, with all my heart. I would never cheat on him."

"Never say 'never,' Yoruko-chan, un," Deidara chuckled.

"Deidara… did you have ties outside of Akatsuki that you gave up on?" I asked, fiddling with the still intact apple in my hands.

"Yeah… I had a girlfriend back home in Suna at one point, un, but when I joined Akatsuki, I had to let her go. She kind of looked a little bit like you, Yoruko…"

"Was it hard? Do you ever miss her?"

"Yeah… but I have someone here to help me get through it, un," he grinned with an expression that I couldn't quite pinpoint. Was it flirtatiousness? Lust? Reminiscence? Adoration? Whatever it was, it made me blush. "By the way, apples are meant to be eaten, un."

I snapped back to the present and out of whatever state of trance I'd been in to look down at my hands to see the apple, still unbitten. I laughed, remembering what I'd gone to the kitchen for—tea and onigiri—and started the kettle for my tea before finally taking a bite out of the apple.

"You know, Deidara-san, you're not as much of a jerk as I thought you were."

"Yes I am. I just know when to be serious, un," he chuckled, stealing my apple from me and taking a huge chunk out of it as he walked away, apple still in hand.

"Hey!" I yelled, so he laughed and half-heartedly waved as he walked out of sight.

When I'd made my snack and tea, I walked back to my room and contemplated on what everyone had been saying since day one about my outside ties to Konoha and Neiji. Even with Deidara being a huge jerk, he'd been the most honest with me about being a part of Akatsuki. He'd had to let someone go, too, and the advice he'd given me was from experience. Was he trying to hook me up with Itachi-dono, though? Is that what his whole speech had been hinting at? And what was with that look that he gave me when he said that his girlfriend in Suna looked like me?

As much as I wanted to do battle against my idol, was the opportunity to do so really enough to keep me wholeheartedly involved with Akatsuki? My relationship with Itachi-dono was complicated and I knew it. I admired and idolized him, but at the same time, I had a strong passion to kill him and claim the glory for it if his brother failed to do the same. I could see myself falling for him, though, over time. The problem, first, would be getting over Neiji. Could I do it? Could I really cut all ties with him? It would be for the better for both of us… right?

The next morning I had breakfast of scrambled eggs, rice, and soy sauce and a cup of green tea, and when I'd finished, I put my bathing suit on, wrapped a towel around my waist and started walking toward the lake.

"Where are you going, skinny dipping again, un?" Deidara grinned as he saw me on my way out.

"In your dreams," I rolled my eyes. "Just swimming. You're free to join me, if you'd like."

"Is that an offer or a request? …un," he smirked, but it seemed strained and confused and his eyes looked suspicious.

"Whichever way you want to take it. Invite whoever, if you're uncomfortable. I left a note on my door saying where I'll be for anyone else who happens to be looking for me, anyway."

It wasn't long after I'd gotten to the lake that everyone else showed up in a group. It was Sasori, Deidara, Itachi-dono, Kisame, and White Zetsu who was there most likely in place of Pein-sama and Konan. Kisame, Deidara, and Itachi-dono were the only ones wearing swim trunks, though, and it dawned on me that I was one of only two women in Akatsuki and surrounded by men and all of us were half naked. It didn't seem like such a bad idea at first until they all showed up and the realization hit me. Deidara noticed my change in demeanor and how nervous I got with the realization.

"Relax. Just because you're the only girl here doesn't mean we're gonna jump you, un. You're not that pretty… un," he scoffed.

"I don't know if I should be relieved or insulted," I grumbled, glaring at him and blushing as I unwrapped my towel from around my waist and threw it over a low tree branch.

I could feel everyone's eyes set on me and it made me more nervous, so I sat on the shore and brought my knees up to my chest with my toes barely in the water instead of getting in. I heard someone run up to me and before I could react, I was being lifted into the air and the next thing I knew, I was under water. When I resurfaced for air, and looked around, I came face to face with a hysterically laughing Deidara who was also dripping wet.

"You jerk! What did you do that for?!" I screamed, splashing him.

"You should be thanking me, brat, un," he laughed. "You're not nervous anymore, right? ...un."

I was taken aback. I wasn't nervous, but I didn't want to admit it. It would have meant that he'd won and I wasn't going to give him that satisfaction, so I huffed and turned my back to him, a light blush coloring my face.

"You confuse me, you know?" Kisame asked from right in front of me and I screamed, not realizing when or how he'd gotten so close without my detection. "One minute you're angry, and then the next you're shy, girly, and blushing. How do you switch so casually, ne?"

"I don't know… It just happens, I guess… Wait, I'm blushing?" I asked, flustered and covering my face, feeling it heat up more.

"Really? …un," Deidara asked, swimming over to get a look, so I turned away to see Itachi-dono a few feet away smirk upon seeing my expression, too.

"Maybe she's blushing because she's being harassed by three shirtless men," Sasori stated, bored from a boulder on the shore.

"Ugh, gag me," I stated, rolling my eyes.

"So you like that kind of stuff, un?" Deidara whispered in my ear from behind me so I tensed up, my face burning as red as a tomato. "Who'd have guessed with such a sweet girl like you? … un."

"Since when have you and Deidara had a thing going on?" Kisame inquired with a chuckle.

"What?! Oh, God, never!" I fumed, but secretly, I was starting to gain a bit of a crush on him. He was mischievous and playful, but he could be serious when he wanted to be, and he wasn't bad to look at, either.

"I bet it's because Itachi's here and shirtless and seeing you in such a revealing outfit, un," Deidara smirked, swimming in a slow circle around me.

"As much as I idolize Itachi-dono, I have every intention of killing him if his brother fails to do it first," I stated with a sigh. "Itachi-dono, when the time comes for our battle, don't hold back. I want the satisfaction of killing you at your best… 'kay?"

"I'm looking forward to it, Yoruko," Itachi smirked.

"If it's not Itachi, and I'm positive it's not Kisame, then it's gotta be me, un… right?" Deidara whispered so only I could hear him. "But it's not really me that's making you blush… It's something about me that reminds you of someone else, un… Something that makes you feel comfortable around me, un, just like that boy of yours makes you feel comfortable… I won't be a replacement, Yoruko, no matter how much I may want to, un."

My eyes widened and breath caught in my throat. He was right. All that time, I'd been comparing both him and Itachi-dono to Neiji, trying to fill a hole where Neiji should have been the whole time. As obnoxious as Deidara was, he was playful and made me feel comfortable, and when he wanted to be serious, he was calm and gentle and truly sincere just like Neiji. And despite Itachi-dono being so withdrawn, he found ways to show you how he felt. His kisses had been passionate and heartfelt, and he was always there from the beginning, watching after and protecting me, just like Neiji.

In a way, I'd felt like I was starting to fall in love with both Deidara and Itachi-dono, thinking that together, they could replace everything that I was missing about Neiji. But even that warped logic made it that much harder to let go of Neiji. I never would. He was the pedestal that I would measure everyone else up to, and they would never be able to compare no matter how hard they tried or I tried to make them. The answer was simple, then; I loved Neiji and nobody could ever replace him.

Tears formed in my eyes and my heart felt heavy, like it was going to drag me to the bottom of the lake and let me drown in my sorrows. Deidara stopped swimming around me to stare at me with an expression that said that he knew me well enough to know what I was thinking, but everyone else paused, sensing the change in atmosphere and wondering why it had happened. I swam to shore and robotically dried off before wrapping the towel around my waist and started walking toward base just as mechanically.

"Deidara, what did you say to her?" Sasori asked.

"I told her to stop pretending and lying to herself, un… It's affecting more than just her, now and it's annoying…" Deidara scoffed.

"Pein-sama's not going to be happy about you provoking her like that," White Zetsu stated.

"I don't care…"

I made my way to Pein-sama's room and knocked. When he called for me to come in, both he and Konan instantly recognized my expression. I was distraught, desperate, practically dead on my feet.

"Leader—" I croaked but before I could even finish, he cut me off.

"Six days… That's what I'm giving you. You know the rules."

Without hesitation, I turned and ran like my life depended on it. I didn't change clothes, I didn't make a snack, nothing. I just ran, picking up speed as images of Neiji flashed through my mind. I'd never needed something so bad as I needed Neiji then and by the time I reached Konoha a day and a half later, it was pouring. I prayed that he was home. I needed him to be home. When I reached the house, I pounded on the door, calling his name as the torrent of tears cascaded down my face.

"Neiji! Neiji, open up! Please, open the door! Neiji!" I screamed.

I didn't care if I was caught. I needed to be with him so bad that it physically hurt.


	19. Chapter 19

_**Author's note: **__**I do not own Naruto or any of its characters. I simply borrow them to use in my own sick, twisted fantasies. ^^ –Nira**_

_**P.S. Please review, too. Feedback from my readers is what really keeps me going. If I'm not getting any, I don't know how well I'm doing or whether or not I should stop updating or posting. Even if you really don't care too much for the story (which I don't think is the case if you're on chapter 19) comments on how I could improve my writing or what you'd like to see change would be extremely helpful and appreciated. Thanks, a lot. :)**_

Chapter Nineteen

((Neiji's P.O.V.))

The weather was horrible. It rained for what seemed like eternity and completely drained me of all of my energy. I wanted it to end. Images of Yoruko disappeared through the sheets and I just wanted the sun to come back out like it had been just a day or so before. I sighed and stood up to take a shower. The house was cold which didn't help with the loss of energy, so the heat of the water was a welcome change. I lost track of the time while I thought of Yoruko as the water drummed on my skin and dripped down my face.

I'd finished my shower and gone into my room to get dressed but as I was putting my pants on, someone started pounding on the door. I finished dressing and lazily walked to answer it, not expecting company and wonder who it could have been. As I got closer, I heard a girl calling my name and begging me to open the door. I instantly recognized the voice and my eyes widened. I swung the door open to reveal none other than the woman of my dreams, Yoruko. I was shocked and confused to see that she was only in a bathing suit, but it didn't matter. Her eyes were filled with a sorrow beyond comprehension and she flung her arms around me, sobbing uncontrollably.

She was trembling and she felt so small and weak that I was afraid she'd shatter at any moment. I led her into the house and sat on the couch with her, holding her close and stroking her dripping wet hair. I could tell that she needed me more than ever. It was clear as day to me, so I wasn't going to let her go until she was ready for me to. When she'd calmed down she looked as drained as I felt and probably felt ten times worse, so I left to get a blanket and towel for her.

"You should put on some dry clothes before you get sick," I said, draping the towel over her head and gently kissing her forehead before going to the kitchen to make tea. "We'll talk once you change."

She slowly got up and walked to Hinata-sama's room, coming back about ten minutes later in a too large T-shirt and sweat pants. I set a towel down where she'd been on the couch where it was still wet and as she sat down, I handed her a cup of tea but she didn't drink any. She gazed into the cup, seemingly lost to her thoughts, instead.

"What's wrong?" I asked after a pause and examining her. "Is it about Gaara?"

Her eyes widened for a moment before she looked up at me, her eyes tortured and silent tears rolling down her cheeks. She didn't have to say anything for me to know what she meant to say. She was wondering how I knew and begging for forgiveness and comfort. I knew that she hadn't meant to do it. She didn't know what would happen if she took Shukaku from him.

"Temari brought him to Tsunade-sama and explained everything," I explained.

"I killed him, Neiji! I killed my best friend!" she sobbed. "I didn't mean to! I didn't know he'd die if we took Shukaku! I didn't know!"

"Shh… relax. He's fine," I cooed, pulling her into me.

"But—…"

"Tsunade-sama took care of him. He's doing fine and he doesn't blame you. He knows Akatsuki made you do it."

"That's a relief," she sniffled and faintly smiled, but it was short lived as her mind continued to work in overdrive and she went silent again.

"What else is bothering you? What made you come back in such desperation? Are they mistreating you? Did something bad happen? Yoruko, please talk to me."

((Yoruko's P.O.V.))

"No, that's not it…" I sighed and paused again.

How could I tell him that I'd thought that I was falling in love with someone else? How could I explain that I needed him with me and then have to leave again? I couldn't go back without him again. I couldn't live two lives like that anymore. Deidara was right. I couldn't go on lying to myself like I could forget about Neiji and everything would be okay… but what other choice did I have?

"Yoruko, listen…" Neiji sighed so I looked up at him again. "I know this is hard for you, being so far apart, and I've been thinking that… maybe… maybe it's time that we broke up."

I felt my heart shatter. It was a literal, physical pain that felt like hot glass burning the inside of my chest and a cold, solid, heavy lump plummeting into my stomach. His expression was completely serious and he was avoiding eye contact because he knew I'd be devastated. My whole world was falling apart around me. At first, it was just small pieces breaking away, but now it was obviously crumbling before me and much faster.

Break up? After coming all that way to tell him that I physically, mentally, and emotionally needed him? To be in his arms again? After everything we'd been through, he was willing to give it up just like that? After I trusted him with my everything, heart body and soul, he wanted to give it back as if none of it had happened? As if we had never happened?

"It's not because my feelings have changed because they haven't. I love you, Yoruko. That will never change… but I know that it's hard for you… You need someone who can be there to protect and comfort you right when you need it, but I can't be there. Even if I could, I've failed you as your lover and protector time and time again. You deserve better, Yoruko. I want you to have someone you can always rely on to be there for you. That's why I think we should—," he said, his voice cracking with the strain of trying not to cry.

"No…" I said cutting him off with tears rushing down my face and off of my chin onto my hands and shirt and into the cup of tea still clasped between my hands. "Don't say that… You don't understand. You don't understand anything at all… There were others who I thought could have taken your place… One of them is a complete and total jerk. He's childish and mischievous, but he can be serious and when he is, he makes me feel comfortable and helps distract me from whatever problems I'd been having… The other is calm and quiet. He doesn't say much, but he's always there, ever watchful and protective and affectionate in his own way… I thought that I could find reasons in both of them to forget about you and put all of my energy and effort into Akatsuki, but it was always you, Neiji.

"I see them as friends and fellow Akatsuki members, but it's always been you that I've been comparing them to and trying to replace. One or both of them could never really take my mind off of you because they remind me of you and you are who I want them to be. Neiji, I need you to stay with me... please. I know I'm being selfish but I can't help it. I love you so much that it physically hurts me that I can't be with you every second of every day. Don't say it's over. Please don't say it's over… If you do, I don't know what I'll do!"

I was sobbing, trembling and praying that he wouldn't leave me. I'd been afraid for so long that nobody would love me. My parents had never loved me and erased my existence from their lives when I was banished. I'd killed my teammates Rinku-kun and Enishi-kun who I'd been so close with and ruined my relationships with Toshia-kun and Shigure-nii because of it. I'd left my best friend since childhood, and upon reuniting with him, killed him, too...

But Neiji was there... I'd left him. I never told him the whole truth about my past. I kept secrets from him. But even when he found out, he was there apologizing for not being able to protect me or comfort me when everything went wrong and my demons from the past came back to haunt me, still loving me and doing everything he could to make me happy. He always knew the right things to say and even when he didn't, he knew what to do to make everything seem alright again. I loved him for loving me.

Neiji gently took the now tepid teacup from my hands and set it aside before just as tenderly lifting my chin up. His touch was calming and slowed my sobs and tears as I looked into his soothing milky gray eyes. His lips met mine in a sweet embrace for the briefest of moments and my tears and sobs came to a complete halt as our eyes met again. He pulled me in again with more passion as his other hand snaked behind me and around my waist and I went from drowning in my own tears and sorrow at the thought of him leaving me to drowning in elated euphoria as Neiji's hands wandered and fire burned wherever his skin met mine only to grow hotter as our limbs tangled, hips met in rhythm, breaths shortened, and hearts beat together.

It all seemed like such a dream that I didn't realize where I was right away when I woke up to the smell of food. When I rolled over with a contented sigh, I nearly panicked when I didn't feel or see Neiji. I shot up, looking around the room and saw my swimsuit hanging on a hanger on Neiji's closet door and the pajama's that I'd had on folded on top of Neiji's dresser. I got up to put them on, not seeing anything else decent for me to wear around the house, and as I was buttoning the top up, Neiji walked in.

"You're finally awake," he smiled. "Hinata-sama washed your bathing suit for you. She's making dinner if you're hungry."

"She's… not mad?" I blushed.

"Why would she be mad?"

I shook my head and faintly smiled, remembering the kind of person Hinata-san was. "Never mind."

"Just out of curiosity, why were you only in your bathing suit?"

"I'd been swimming with a few other members when I broke… I went to see Leader, desperate to come home and he gave me six days, so I came straight here, not even bothering to get dressed. Looking back, it was foolish of me not to put any clothes on…"

"It's alright. You have plenty of clothes here. If he gave you six days, how much longer do you have to stay?"

"Two full days… I don't know if it'd be a good idea for me to stay that long, though. I'm sure everyone knows I'm in Akatsuki by now and if I'm caught, there's no way I'll make it back to HQ on time, and either way, I might as well consider myself dead," I sighed.

"You'll make it back on time. I'll make sure of it. You need to stay alive if we're going to stay together."

He kissed my forehead and held my hand before walking me out of the room and into the kitchen. Upon seeing me, Hinata-san paused in her cooking to hug me with a smile.

"Welcome home, Yoruko-san," she chirped.

Happy tears formed in my eyes and my voice cracked as I replied, "I'm home."

"I hope you're hungry. I made your favorite meal. It's not as good as the café's though," she stated while she finished plating everything and Neiji set the table. "Itadakimasu."

I took a bite of the steamed cod and before I knew it, I was crying again, but this time they were happy tears. Despite everything I'd put them through, Neiji and Hinata-san were so kind and welcoming. I missed eating dinner with them and living with them and spending time with them. They were the happy, functional family I'd always wanted and I missed being a part of it.

"What's wrong, Yoruko-san?" she inquired, worry in her voice.

"Nothing's wrong. I'm just s-so happy. Thank you so much… for everything."

That night I slept with Hinata-san in her bed, holding hands. Despite her being two years younger than me, she really was a lot more mature than I was and her kindness was like a blanket of warmth and welcoming. It was comforting.


	20. Chapter 20

_**Author's note: **__**I do not own Naruto or any of its characters. I simply borrow them to use in my own sick, twisted fantasies. ^^ –Nira**_

_**P.S. I'm still not getting any reviews. T^T It takes longer to read a chapter than it does to review one! It doesn't have to be detailed. Just a couple sentences or so would be appreciated. Anything! I'm dying here! T^T Please review! I'm literally begging you! T^T**_

Chapter Twenty

((Yoruko's P.O.V.))

"There are a couple people who have been worried sick about you aside from Hinata-sama and me," Neiji said the next morning during breakfast. "I think we should go visit them today."

I knew exactly who he was talking about and a faint smile turned the corners of my mouth up. When we'd finished eating and gotten dressed, I transformed into a boy with golden brown hair and green eyes to draw less attention to myself and we started walking toward Shigure-nii's house. When we got closer we saw that he and Toshia-kun were just leaving, dressed to train and Neiji called out to them. When they saw us, they looked confused.

"There's someone I want you to meet," Neiji smiled. "You're not busy, are you?"

"We were just on our way to the forest to train, but we can wait if it's important," Shigure-nii stated, eyeing me up and down.

"Who are you? I've never seen you around here before," Toshia demanded, suspicious.

"Can we come in? I'll explain everything," Neiji inquired.

"How do we know we can trust him?"

"Trust me…"

Shigure-nii let us in and Neiji was the last one in, locking the door behind us.

"So, back to my question, who are you?" Toshia demanded.

"You've forgotten me already? You really don't recognize me?" I grinned, interlocking my fingers behind my head. "I know it's been a long time, but it hasn't been that long… has it?"

Their eyes widened and lit up as the realization dawned on them both. They'd never been very good actors, so it wasn't hard for me to notice their immediate change in demeanor and body language. Shigure-nii became more relaxed but Toshia-kun crumbled. He threw his arms around me, burying his face in my neck. I was shocked and taken aback, losing my concentration and releasing the transformation jutsu, but I realized that he was trembling with the effort not to cry and it dawned on me. I'd been with him for years but I'd never realized it before and he'd never shown or told me.

"Toshia-kun… how long?" I asked.

"What?" he croaked.

"How long have you loved me?"

There was a pause as his grip on me tightened slightly before he answered in a hoarse whisper. "Always…"

A smile spread across my face and a few tears rolled down my cheeks as I wrapped my arms around his torso and hugged him back and I let out something between a sob and a laugh.

"Thank you… That makes me so happy. Please forgive me. You've been hurting for all these years of hiding it, haven't you? I should have known better. I'm sorry I was so oblivious."

"Shut up… You're just making it harder for me to let you go," he replied with his own half chuckle, half sob as he pulled away and looked at me, his cheeks glistening with trails of tears.

Both of us laughed at how pathetic we looked, laughing and crying like a couple of fools and wiping our faces on our sleeves while Neiji and Shigure-nii chuckled with melancholy smiles.

"So when did you get back and how long are you here for? And what are you doing here anyway?" Toshia-kun asked.

"I got back yesterday afternoon but I have to leave again tomorrow night. I was falling apart. I needed to come home… There's been so much going on," I sighed.

"They're not treating you badly, are they? You didn't leave because they were being mean?" Shigure-nii asked.

"No, most of them are actually really kind to me. The others kind of just don't talk to me which is fine by me. The only major downside is that they're always watching me like I'm a caged bird or something. They're afraid I'll leak important information or run away, but they won't do anything as long as I remain loyal."

"Remain loyal? You mean you actually like it there?" Toshia asked, incredulous.

"It has its perks, I guess… I wouldn't say that I like it, but I wouldn't say that I dislike it, either. I'd just prefer to be home. I'll just have to deal with periodic visits."

"I'm glad you're alright for the most part and that you came to visit us this time," Shigure-nii smiled, hugging me.

"Yeah… it's not the same without you around," Toshia-kun frowned. "Be careful. I'd hate for you to get caught back. I mean, I'd fight like hell to protect you if you did so you could get away, but I'd rather it not get to that point."

"If my disguise was enough to fool you two, I'm sure it'll work on just about anyone," I chuckled.

"Still, don't take any unnecessary risks."

"I know. I'll be good."

I transformed back into the boy and grinned. "Oh, and if you see me walking around, the name's Hiro and I'm Toshia-kun's younger cousin or something visiting from Suna, 'kay?"

"Alright, Hiro-kun," Shigure-nii chuckled as he opened the door and we all made our way out. "Take care and let us know if you need anything."

"Thanks, Shigure nii-san. I'll see you again soon, I bet," I smiled as I waved to them, one hand in my pocket as we walked away, Neiji beside me.

"You kind off pull off being a guy. It's sort of eerie," Neiji stated when we'd gotten out of sight of Toshia-kun and Shigure-nii so I laughed.

"It comes from spending so much time with guys. I guess you tend to pick up their habits and demeanors."

We were wandering around the city when we happened to run into Tenten. She smiled as she made her way over to the two of us.

"Hey, Neiji-kun. How are you holding up?" she asked.

"I miss her, but other than that, I'm fine. Thanks," he half smiled, looking down.

"I'm here if you ever need anything. I didn't know you had company, though. Hi, I'm Tenten. Who are you?" she smiled, finally acknowledging me.

"I'm Hiro. I'm here from Suna visiting my cousin, Toshia. He's busy training right now, though, so he asked Neiji-san to show me around."

"Oh, well welcome to Konoha. How are you liking it here so far?"

"It's a nice city. Everyone's so friendly and if all the girls here are as cute and kind as you, I might just stay here and not go back home," I chuckled.

"I'm flattered," she grinned sheepishly. "Anyway, I just wanted to check up on you, Neiji-kun, and make sure you're doing okay."

"Thanks, Tenten," Neiji smiled.

"Well, I hope you enjoy the rest of your time here in Konoha, Hiro-kun, and I'll see you around."

She waved as she walked away, a slight blush on her cheeks and I chuckled as I waved back before putting my hands in my pockets and continuing to walk.

"What?" Neiji inquired.

"Once you get past her jealousy, she's actually really cute. I think I may have charmed her a bit."

"You charmed her, or Hiro did?"

"What are you talking about? I am Hiro," I smirked, glancing at him from the corner of my eye. "So where are we going?"

We passed by the Yamanaka family flower shop and Ino happened to be leaving with a bouquet of tulips in her hands.

"Oh, hi, Neiji-kun," she smiled. "Who's your friend?"

"Hey, Ino. This is Hiro, Toshia's cousin visiting from Suna."

"Hi, there," I smiled. "What's with the flowers?"

"These? I was just getting off work and thought I'd go visit my sensei's grave on my way home."

"I'm sorry to hear that your sensei passed away," I frowned. "May we come with you to pay our respects?"

"That's very kind of you. I'm sure Asuma-sensei would be grateful," she smiled.

Neiji and I went with her and paid our respects to the fallen son of the former Hokage and when we'd finished, Ino thanked us and waved as she walked off to go home. We decided to call it a day and went home and as soon as the door was shut, I sighed in relief as I released the transformation jutsu. The rest of the night was spent cuddling on the couch and watching movies, eating dinner with Hinata-san, and then falling asleep in each other's arms.


End file.
